Are Medicare and Medicaid really the principal drivers of our national debt? Only when you combine them. Social Security by itself is the largest driver, followed by the interest on the national debt, followed by the military, health spending, and Medicare, who are all tied at around 13% of our total spending. (Social Security is 22%, net interest is 14%.) [Source] Veterans’ benefits and services account for 5%.

This statement is laying the groundwork for the writer to argue for cuts to these programs.

Full contextual analysis of Section 3: The General Welfare here.