Shrinking the Budget May Not Be As Easy As Trump Thinks

Real Clear Markets ^ | November 21, 2016 | Jeffrey Dorfman

[hawg-farmer - FR..October 1998]

More of the same attitude that got Mr. Trump elected.

[grobdriver]

1. Eliminate foreign aid to terrorist nations.
2. Eliminate fund to UN
3. Deport illegal aliens.
4. Stop funding / reduce funding bloated federal agencies.
5. Defund sanctuary cities.
6. Defund NPR
7. ... you get the idea.

[Mollypitcher1]

Disarm all the agencies that have been armed and have no reason to be so. Sell off arms and ammunition to we the people. Billions recuperated.
Cut all support of the UN and throw them out of the country.
Cut the EPA down to its appropriate size with only the original reasons for its being, thereby saving millions if not billions.
Cut the slush funds out of the agencies which should handle only money enough to perform their duties. STOP the funding of left wing projects through agencies that do not do anything but support more and more waste.
Penalize any agency which does not decrease its expenditures by at least 3% the first year and stop the automatic increases built in that inflates their spending power.
Suggestions just for starters.
Remember, Trump increased the capacity of a 200 seat ballroom by over 1/3rd simply by reducing the size of the chairs. He will find ways to reduce waste that nobody has even thought of. It’s called thinking outside of the box.

[AndyJackson]

The path to salvation requires growth,

The path to salvation requires economy and frugality - you know - actually spending the funds on things that get you something - the government equivalent of an individual buying a lawnmower and power tools rather than squandering his funds at the bar and the track.

You guys out there have no idea how much of your money we siphon off in DC for our own corrupt purposes.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

This is why the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader jobs are so important. Paul Ryan will be in charge of pushing budget hearings through the house. And all those committee chairmen will be doing the budget cutting “heavy lifting”.

The most important chairmen will be in charge of the Rules committee (Pete Sessions, TX), the Ways & Means committee (Kevin Brady, TX), and the Appropriations committee (Hal Rogers, KY). So these will be the three congressmen to watch.

[Gen.Blather]

“The Federal government has been distorted into a one-size-fits-all nanny.”

I agree with the send the job down-ticket and let the people who might see benefit...New Yorkers for NY arts for example, pay the freight. The reason it is at the federal level is, they can do it, and they buy votes with grants. In the micro-case of NY arts everybody in the country has to pay and each city gets its share of really ugly and offensive “art.” But the important thing is everybody with a hand in the till, plus those who hope to have a hand in the till vote for the guy who makes it all possible. So, getting his vote to cancel the arts funding will require finding out what the Democrats have in their secret files on that senator or representative. You sit in his office discussing it and then take out a pile of pictures of him with a red rubber ball in his mouth being “forced” to f@ck a goat while Madam Pain lashes him with a leather thong and you say, “Damn, that’s a nice looking goat.” Hand him the picture and leave.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Busting up the pork barrel won’t be easy, but if there was anybody up to this un-easy task, I’d think it would be Donald.

[bert]

I understand your point, but there can never be enough saving to pay what is owed

[HiTech RedNeck]

This is sort of a metaphor for what has been going on, with Hillary and her ilk being the “Madam Pain” and the goat being the hapless average American.

[HiTech RedNeck]

A sea change in a national resource situation could, in essence, buy out the national debt.

[HiTech RedNeck]

But in the meantime trying not to add to it, would be quite helpful.

[DouglasKC]

I’m betting that Trump doesn’t have the same assumptions as everyone else in Washington. Spending will be cut dramatically with a lot of whining but no real hardship.

[Obbiee]

Entitlements should not be in our budget. No one is entitled to anything unless they work or have worked for it. I know several families with handicapped children who are raking in big bucks from the government.
I’m not against helping people in need but this freebie stuff is over the top.
The Bible said if you don’t work you don’t need to be provided food..( if able bodied). I agree with that 100%.

[GailA]

Oh sure it is CAGW has already got a lot of the PORK

http://www.cagw.org/reporting/pig-book

Put them to audting every department for waste and fraud.

$60 B a year Medicare, about the same Medicaid, Military waste is another big one, NO MORE USELESS F-35’s or ZIMWALTS that will never work or be used. BILLIONS wasted.

Then there is the VA FRAUD and WASTE that is in the BILLIONS!

[BitWielder1]

There are undoubtedly many things that can be cut or drastically reduced but every single cut will invariably cause a lot of crying and wailing; You can't cut *that*, it will affect [the poor, women, children, minorities, gays, immigrants, the environment, take your pick].
It will be an uphill battle every inch of the way.
I hope Trump can remain strong through 4-8 years of constant fire and slander.

[DungeonMaster]

He's also said he will leave entitlements alone,

This is bad news but I'm trying to read between the lines. Re-instating a work requirement could be considered leaving entitlements alone. It could change the whole curve of how much people get for doing nothing.

[bert]

I would not disagree that constant addition exacerbates the difficulty

[I_be_tc]

I would like to have the word “entitlements” clarified. I paid all of my life into FICA and Medicare. I was an employer and paid that side for my employees. I am ENTITLED to my money back.

However, people on welfare, food stamps, section 8 and foreigners taking part of my Social Security are NOT ENTITLED. They are USERs, or BEGGARs or whatever word we want to replace the stolen word ENTITLED. They are not entitled to this money.

[No_More_Harkin]

How the f#ck does Jeff Dorfman know what Trump thinks?

[patriot08]

The average American hasn’t a CLUE how much of our tax money Obama has sent down Muslim h*** holes while he slashes the military, CUTS MEDICARE and threatens to withhold senior’s social security checks!

BILLIONS FOR JIHAD! Obamas 2009 Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Pandemic Flu was revised and passed by the full committee. It gives billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to countries and entities that support Sharia law and/or harbor, hide and support those who want to destroy the U.S. and our allies. http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2009/05/1...

Read the summary from David Obeys office that was quietly released last week with nary a word from any media.

$3.6 BILLION, matching the request, to expand and improve capabilities of the Afghan security forces

$400 MILLION, as requested, to build the counterinsurgency capabilities of the Pakistani security forces

AFGHANISTAN: $1.52 BILLION, $86 MILLION above the request WEST BANK AND GAZA: $665 MILLION in bilateral economic, humanitarian, and security assistance for the West Bank and Gaza

JORDAN: $250 million,$250 million above the request, including $100 million for economic and $150 million for security assistance

EGYPT: $360 MILLION, $310 million above the request, including $50 million for economic assistance,$50 million for border security, and $260 million for security assistance

PAKISTAN:$1.9 billion,$591 million above the request

IRAQ:$968 MILLION,$336 million above the request

Oversight: $20 million,$13 million above the request, to expand oversight capacity of the State Department, USAID, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan to review programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq

Lebanon:$74 million

International Food Assistance:$500 MILLION,$200 million above the request, for PL 480 international food assistance to alleviate suffering during the global economic crisis

REFUGEE ASSISTANCE:$343 MILLION,$50 million above the request, including humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

Funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency programs in the West Bank and Gaza is limited to $119 million (Note: Gaza = Hamas)

Disaster Assistance: $200 MILLION to avert famines and provide life-saving assistance during natural disasters and for internally displaced people around the world, including Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, the Middle East and South Asia

Peacekeeping:$837 MILLION FOR UNITED NATIONS peacekeeping operations, including an expanded mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a new mission in Chad and the Central African Republic

Department of Justice: $17 million, matching the request, for counter-terrorism activities and to provide training and assistance for the Iraqi criminal justice system

OBAMA GIVES YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO REBUILD MUSLIM MOSQUES AROUND THE WORLD! http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/... #

ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WILL GIVE AWAY NEARLY $6 MILLION OF AMERICAN TAX DOLLARS TO RESTORE 63 HISTORIC AND CULTURAL SITES, INCLUDING ISLAMIC MOSQUES AND MINARETS, IN 55 NATIONS. See the State Department document here. http://exchanges.state.gov/media/pdfs/office-...

Social Security: We constantly hear,"It's going bankrupt"...It's going to bankrupt the country"..."It should be privatized" - and it's an 'entitlement'. It is NOT an entitlement. Our seniors have paid into it all their working lives with the promise from the government that it would be there for them help out during retirement. MAYBE OBAMA SHOULD STOP RAIDING IT AND STOP THROWING TRILLIONS DOWN RAT HOLES IN COUNTRIES WHO HATE US.

And THAT’S just the tip of the iceberg.

THIS will blow your mind!! http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/ They should have 2010 up, but they don’t. That’s where you’ll find Obama’s largesse towards Muslim countries really go off the charts.

http://www.foreignassistance.gov/DataView.aspx charts: http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/data/fast-facts.html .

_____________________________________________________

Obama Increased Foreign Aid 80%; Spent 76% More on Foreign Aid Than Border Security cnsnews

CNSNews.com) - From fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2011, according to the U.S. Treasury, the federal government increased spending on foreign aid by 80 percent and, in fiscal 2011, spent 76 percent more on foreign aid than it did securing the borders of the United States.

In fiscal 2008, the government spent a total of $11.427 billion in international assistance programs, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement. In fiscal 2011, according to the statement, it spent $20.599 billion—an increase of $9.172 billion, or 80 percent, from 2008.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-increased-foreign-aid-80-spent-76-more-foreign-aid-border-security

“¢ Israel: $555 million of the $2.8 billion 2010 request for security assistance, $555 million above the supplemental request. (Note: that means Obama’s original request did not include any money for Israel in 2009)

“¢ Lebanon: $74 million […]

“¢ Refugee Assistance: $343 million, $50 million above the request, “¦including humanitarian assistance for Gaza. Funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency programs in the West Bank and Gaza is limited to $119 million (Note: Gaza = Hamas) […]

“¢ Department of Justice: $17 million, matching the request, for counter-terrorism activities and to provide training and assistance for the Iraqi criminal justice system

The continued involvement in the Iraq,Libya and Afghan wars has cost the U.S. As per the reports, around $1.3 trillion.

Barack Obama: $16.4 trillion .

The continued involvement in the Iraq,Libya and Afghan wars has cost the U.S. As per the reports, around $1.3 trillion.