Trump’s Budget Proposal

Two weeks ago, the federal government shut down for a night as lawmakers struggled to reach a compromise over a new two-year spending bill. The one that Trump finally signed, which reopened the government, asked to raise both domestic and military spending by $300 billion.

But on Monday, President Trump unveiled his $4.4 trillion budget proposal to Congress. This plan differed in some important ways from the bill he signed and agreed to just the week before. Here, Election Central takes a look at the “winners” and “losers” under the new plan, and what it would do to the federal deficit if enacted.

Where Will the Money Go?

Trump’s plan indicates that he will spend less money on domestic programs than originally thought. The big winner under the new budget plan is the military. Trump proposes increasing military spending by $195 billion over the next two years.

The other big “winner” is infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, dams, and other major projects. The new budget pledges $200 billion to improving and repairing infrastructure over the next decade. While this isn’t nearly enough to address all of the nation’s old roads and bridges, Trump claims that this amount will result in new partnerships and investments from states, cities, and private companies, who will help fund the rest. Many lawmakers disagree.

The Department of Homeland Security will receive $3-4 billion more per year than usual, including an additional $1.6 billion to begin to build the wall along the southern border. Trump has also pledged $13 billion to fight the opioid addiction crisis.

What Will Be Cut?

While infrastructure will receive a big payout, public transportation will not. Money for existing programs such as Amtrak and the Army Corps of Engineers will be cut by $178 billion over the next ten years.

Poor Americans stand to lose the most under the new plan. Under Trump’s proposed budget, there would be steep cuts of at least $1.8 trillion to many important federal entitlement programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. It also suggests cutting funding for SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or “food stamps”) by more than 30 percent over the next ten years. And public housing authorities and property owners will now be able to set mandatory work requirements for people who live in public housing.

Some federal agencies will also take a drastic hit. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) will lose 34 percent of its annual funding, or roughly $2.8 billion. All climate change-related programs will be eliminated, and the Office of Science and Technology will receive about half of its usual funding, or $489 million.

What About the Deficit?

As written, the budget would add $984 billion to the federal deficit. It’s calculated that this will add $7 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years. Traditionally, Republicans are in favor of spending less money in order to try to balance the budget and reduce the federal deficit. But Trump, despite being a Republican, has said that he doesn’t have a problem with deficit spending, and the new budget plan certainly reflects that.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have finally found something they agree on: that it is highly unlikely that Trump’s budget plan will pass without major revisions.

What Do You Think? What would you change about the president’s budget proposal, and why?