Posted on 03/16/2017 6:30:13 AM PDT by Enlightened1
In a proposal with many losers, the Environmental Protection Agency and State Department stand out as targets for the biggest spending reductions. Funding would disappear altogether for 19 independent bodies that count on federal money for public broadcasting, the arts and regional issues from Alaska to Appalachia. Trump's budget outline is a bare-bones plan covering just "discretionary" spending for the 2018 fiscal year starting on Oct. 1. It is the first volley in what is expected to be an intense battle over spending in coming months in Congress, which holds the federal purse strings and seldom approves presidents' budget plans.
Trump wants to spend $54 billion more on defense, put a down payment on his border wall, and breathe life into a few other campaign promises. His initial budget outline does not incorporate his promise to pour $1 trillion into roads, bridges, airports and other infrastructure projects. The budget directs several agencies to shift resources toward fighting terrorism and cybercrime, enforcing sanctions, cracking down on illegal immigration and preventing government waste.
The White House has said the infrastructure plan is still to come.
That said, Congress controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans, is likely to reject some or many of his proposed cuts with some republicans calling the budget "dead on arrival." Some of the proposed changes, which Democrats will broadly oppose, have been targeted for decades by conservative Republicans. Moderate Republicans have already expressed unease with potential cuts to popular domestic programs such as home-heating subsidies, clean-water projects and job training.
(Excerpt) Read more at zerohedge.com ...
Hopefully the taxpayers are the winners...
They’re not losers; they’re non-essential reductions in light of $60+ trillion in Fed obligations.
It's a dead budget. Congress will never approve the cuts. Trump will have to shut the government down by vetoing what they do pass.
I would imagine that would depend on whether you are a taxpayer who benefits from one of the cut programs or not.
54 billion more in defense seems a tad excessive.
If judges can appropriate power from other branches he might as well. Until we start impeaching crappy judges this all seems like half measures
Liberals going crazy over the arts of course, but the one thing they have seized on is a cut to the Meals on Wheels program and a couple other programs. I can see that in future Democrat campaign ads. I don’t see that as a program he should cut. That said, liberals will be furious about cuts because they want to continue to grow the government endlessly and just raise taxes.
Trump gave a speech talking about how depleted the military is complete with numbers and stats and made campaign promises to rebuild it so it’s the strongest it’s ever been, so I see this as fulfilling that promise.
If the Republican (?) Congress returns to regular order and passes individual appropriation bills there will be no government wide shutdown even if one or two appropriation bills are vetoed.
Dead as a door-nail with hacks Lyin’ Ryan
and limp wrist McConnell in control of the houses.
Dead!
Dead!
Dead!
Instead of saying to one another that it will never work, why not get behind it and make waves about how great it is, support the budget, speak loudly, write your Congressman and local media.
Of course Trump knows and we know the amount will be reduced, but let’s try to get as much as possible.
I’d like to see this as a percentage of their current budget.
Here’s why: SOP in for-profit business is to restrict discretionary spending when times get tough. This is not salaraies and bills that must be paid, but everything else, from travel and training to the paper clips in the supply cabinet. Trump should impose a 20% mandatory non-negotiable discretionary spending cut on every single federal agency except the military.
Every one of them can do their jobs on 80% of last years discretionary spend. Guaranteed.
Excessive? Where have you been? Under Obama there were times there were no carriers at sea. United States budget sequestration in 2013 bled the military budget dry.
It looks to me like taxpayers and everyday citizens are the winners... This is a win.
Not if you realize that nothing has been done to protect our Country since Clinton...
Oh no! It’s the dreaded draconian budget cuts!
Must be a Republican in office.
But they really need to go after the useless entitlement spending. What did things like SNAP and ADC spending go up under Obama? Something like $79 billion a year on food stamps? That kind of stuff needs to be reined in and I mean fast.
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