03/16/2017

Trump Calls for Deep Cuts in Budget Blueprint

Despite the cuts, the proposed budget calls for significant military spending

President Trump today released a budget blueprint that calls for a significant increase in military spending and deep cuts across much of the rest of the federal government.

The budget proposal, which is titled “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again,” would increase defense spending by $54 billion and offset that by stripping away money from at least 18 other federal agencies. The Agriculture, Labor and State Departments would see reductions of more than 20 percent while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would face a 30 percent cut in funding. Spending would also be cut at Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation, among others.

Besides Defense, the only other agencies that would see an increase in Fiscal Year 2018 spending would be Homeland Security and the Veterans Department.

The budget blueprint also includes a supplemental request of $1.7 billion in funding this year to begin construction of a wall along the border with Mexico, along with an additional $2.6 billion in funding for the wall in FY18.

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said the budget blueprint reflects President Trump’s desire to “shrink the role of government, drive efficiencies, go after waste, duplicative programs, those types of things.”

“If he said it on the campaign, it’s in the budget,” Mulvaney said.

Congress will still have to draft a formal budget but the blueprint released by the White House outlines President Trump’s priorities. Congressional Democrats immediately blasted the White House budget, but some Republicans have already pushed back on the blueprint as well.

“The administration’s budget isn’t going to be the budget,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). “We do the budget here. The administration makes recommendations, but Congress does budgets.”

This article was provided to OSAE by The Power of A.