Posted on 02/12/2018 12:21:49 PM PST by Innovative
President Trump on Monday rolled out a White House budget that includes deep cuts to some federal agencies, an increase in funding for the Pentagon and $18 billion for a wall on the Mexican border.
It includes proposals to cut deficits by more than $3 trillion over a decade and lower debt levels as a percentage of the gross domestic product, but does not balance by doing away with annual deficits.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Trump budget wants billions more for border wall, immigration agents and judges
For anyone who simply doesn’t believe the budget proposal is real, or who says that it is unrealistic to think that this will be passed, I just say to relax.
Why? Well, the short version is that this is an opening offer, and that the guy who wrote “The Art of the Deal” is making it. Remember that he doesn’t play to lose, and always gets more than he wants by initially demanding half of the world from his opponents. He makes them feel good about signing a deal for less than that...and does way better than what is minimally acceptable to him.
This also accomplishes more - first, it helps to lock up fiscal conservatives for the election. If conservatives do well in the election, then we have to rely MUCH less on the RINOs (of which there are so many). He also paints the Dems - for 2018 AND 2020 - as the party of loose and irresponsible spending.
Let’s say that he cuts deficits by $2 trillion instead of $3 trillion - who would say that this is a bad thing (especially while simultaneously building the military)? Remember that this is a dynamic and growing economy, so the deficits are very likely to be much lower than previously estimated by the (static model) CBO. So $2 trillion of cuts will make a big difference. They’ll make an even bigger difference in the years beyond his Presidency, as those cuts will then be part of the spending upon which future budgets are based. Simply slowing the rate of growth of the overall deficit will allow Main Street to catch up with DC’s drunken sailor spending (with all due apology to drunken sailors, who uniformly have better morals than the Congress), and reduce debt as a percentage of GDP.
Is it a balanced budget, let alone a complete payback of the deficit? No...and no person is able to turn a speeding aircraft carrier on a dime so that it is going in the opposite direction very quickly. Anyone expecting that from ANY person, even someone with a unified Congress behind him, is smoking some very strong weed, because it just is NOT going to happen. Deal with reality, which is that a simple, long-term slowing of the rate of growth of federal expenditures will work wonders for assuring our financial health for many years to come - even if the deficit is never reduced to zero and the debt continues to climb. Ratios are what is important, and reducing the debt-to-income (i.e. GDP) ratio is what is critical here. Can the debt be carried with some degree of comfort? Yes = financial health. No = disaster.
FWIW, I’d personally love to see a balanced budget, and a path to repay 25% of the national debt in the next 10 years. But I’m realistic enough to know that such won’t happen very soon. Let’s work to get done what CAN be done, to discredit the other side as much as possible, and come back for more at a later date.
More:
Trump budget seeks 23 percent cut at EPA, eliminating dozens of programs
This all sounds great, but as convoluted as the process has become, I would love to have someone knowledgeable explain how this meshes with the recent 2 year budget just passed by Congress. Do all of these cuts need another round of congress to approve, or has congress already approved by the recent law and this is simply the apportionment by the executive branch (allowing Trump to spend less than what was approved?)
I would like to think we are ‘getting there’ but the process always seems to require another road blocked congressional approval.
You think so? What happened to the last budget Trump submitted? Do you remember?
A lot of it is CAGW’s recommendations, which I agree with.
If our tax system is going to be easier and fairer (whatever) then we can surely cut all those “good people” at the IRS, yes?
At the end it will be an increase of 1 trillion dollars. You know it and I know it. Although I give Trump big time props, this Congress has no interest in cutting. They are already crying over the cuts in the arts. They say it is only 0.006 percent of the overall budget. Instead of republicans saying, “Well if it is that small then donations should be able to cover the loss”, they say, “Oh well you are right, we will keep it in there AGAIN.” So frustrating. Republicans suck as bad if not worse then Democrats.
WV seems to love Manchin. If he thinks it looks bad for him as a demonrat, he’ll jump parties.
All this “deficit” b/s. Government size and taxes, not deficit, are the REAL problem. The Lying Left doesn’t want people to know that. “Deficits” are government’s excuse for higher taxes.
If we would
- dismantle the unconstitutional 80% portion of the feds (some details in post #26) AND
- then cut taxes to a FLAT 10%-15%...
THE RESULTS WOULD BE...
- the deficit would basically disappear
- the average American would be significantly wealthier overnight
- our economy would launch into the stratosphere
- the IRS would be reduced to a storefront
- AND we would be well on our way to the recovery of our Free Constitutional Republic.
If he thinks it looks bad for him as a demonrat, he’ll jump parties.
Gettin' pretty late for that. He's already running as a 'rat. That Senate seat is up for election this year.
We shall see. I'm a WEST Virginian, and I'm all in for Morrisey.
“[President Trump] does more work for We The People in a week than Obama did in his entire 8 years!”
Amen to THAT! I never thought I’d see it again in my lifetime! MAGA!
it is simply called a “VETO”. Right? You know that.
I’m guessing none. I was referring to his known negotiation technique. Also guessing he didn’t call for $3 Trillion in cuts for the current budget. Maybe he realizes to get cuts he has to open with an even yuger number.
“Having a budget doesn’t mean he has to spend it all. Depends on the various laws that he is sworn to uphold.”
Now that is an excellent point. It gives me some hope.
Does this mean he is postponing the wall and deportations of all the illegals until right before his next election? Seems dangerous to do so.
(remember the illegals would all leave then good ones come back legally through the door in the wall)
$3 trillion in cuts sounds impressive a fist glance, but then we read “over a decade”. Current annual deficits are running about $600 billion, so over a decade you would either need to make $6 trillion in cuts or hope the tax base expands to cover part of it with higher tax receipts (or a combo of both). I see lots more red in our future.
Apparently you are unaware that our military is in such a bad state that we are sending destroyers to sea with no (as in literally zero) ammunition for their guns because we didn’t buy any and we’re putting up combat aircraft to defend the United States with guns that don’t actually work. We are doing both and worse.
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