Trump budget seeks cuts to domestic programmes, Medicare, favours military and wall

[webfact]

Trump budget seeks cuts to domestic programmes, Medicare, favours military and wall

By Ginger Gibson and James Oliphant

 

Copies of the President Trump's FY 2019 budget proposal are delivered to the U.S. House Budget Committee offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump proposed a budget on Monday that calls for cuts in domestic spending and social programs such as Medicare and seeks a sharp increase in military spending and funding for a wall on the Mexican border.

 

While running for president in 2016, Trump pledged to leave popular benefit programs such as Medicare and Social Security untouched, but his new budget proposal would reduce Medicare spending by $236 billion over the next 10 years.

 

The White House argued, however, that the reduced spending would come through reforms to the government health insurance program for the elderly, not benefit cuts.

 

There is little chance of those cuts becoming real, as presidential budgets are rarely enacted by the U.S. Congress, which controls federal purse strings. Instead, the budget allows the White House to lay out its priorities for the year.

 

Still, the proposed cuts drew a rebuke from the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Budget Committee, John Yarmuth.

 

"These cuts to critical federal investments are so extreme they can only reflect a disdain for working families and a total lack of vision for a stronger society,” Yarmuth said in a statement.

 

Beyond social programs, the plan calls for deep cuts in non-military spending that the White House said would lower the federal budget deficit by more than $3 trillion over 10 years.

 

It calls for spending $57 billion less in fiscal year 2019 than mandated in a two-year budget deal passed last week by Congress that raised spending limits on both military and domestic programs by $300 billion.

 

That bipartisan agreement means Congress has already locked in its own spending priorities and that Trump's proposals are unlikely to be taken on.

 

The Trump administration says, however, that Congress need not spend all of the money called for under the deal, particularly with regard to domestic spending.

 

“The message is really simple: You don’t have to spend it,” said Mick Mulvaney, Trump's budget director.

 

Trump's budget proposal forecasts annual economic growth of at least 3 percent over the next three years, an aggressive target that is crucial to help cover the cost of $1.5 trillion in tax cuts passed by the Republican-controlled Congress in December.

 

Even given those optimistic projections, the swelling of the federal debt following the tax bill and the two-year budget agreement means that Trump's proposal notably abandons the objective of eliminating the federal budget deficit after 10 years, a long-standing goal of fiscal conservatives.

 

MILITARY, INFRASTRUCTURE

 

Trump's $4.4 trillion budget proposal provides for $716 billion in spending on military programs and for maintaining the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

 

It also includes $200 billion for rebuilding the nation's infrastructure, and an outlay of $23 billion for border security - most of it for the building of a wall on the border with Mexico to stop illegal immigration.

 

The wall is a key item for Trump's political base of supporters but is opposed by Democrats. The issue has become a sticking point in talks to keep alive a federal program to spare from deportation the "Dreamers" - people brought to the country illegally as children.

 

Trump’s budget calls for $571 million in additional funding to hire 2,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents. It also requests funding for more judges and attorneys to handle cases of illegal immigration.

 

In keeping with another Trump campaign promise, the budget provides for $200 billion in federal funds intended to spur $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments with state, local and private partners over the next 10 years - an ambitious program that will have to be approved by Congress.

 

The budget also seeks some $13 billion in new funding over the next two years to combat the opioid epidemic.

 

The proposal increases U.S. contributions to the United Nations, an organization that Trump has repeatedly criticized, by 4.5 percent.

 

The budget explains the increase as supporting American interests, including “drug control, crime and terrorism prevention, and trade promotion.”

 

(Reporting by Ginger Gibson and James Oliphant; Additional reporting by David Morgan and Katanga Johnson; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-13

[PremiumLane]

Just like very other neo-con style president before him... MAGA my arse

[Emster23]

Doin such a great job of looking out for the forgotten average American like he promised...

[DM07]

Good that he is taking away money from all those entitled moochers and gives it to such noble causes as "making the world's biggest war- machine just a bit bigger" and his stupid as....necessary and sensible homeland protection!

What a great president!

'Muuuuurica!

 

[jcsmith]

Like most things under Trump, his budget is a disaster. Hearing him speak about it is even worse. As he stands there with a straight face talking about how the U.S. military, which spends 3x more than anyone else... was depleted and needed this money.  While they deregulate and cost jobs in clean energy so the fossil fuel companies can profit, meanwhile he refuses to release his taxes. When the wealthiest Americans get a massive 15% tax cut, and his head cheerleader Ryan tries to focus on some lady who got a $1.50 a week raise to show that common people benefited too... Yay! An extra $78 a year, that will help stave off inflation... But none of this will matter if the very people he is screwing over don't recognize what is happening.

[ilostmypassword]

As for the Trump administrations predictions of how the tax cuts would boost revenue?

"And remember just two months ago when the administration said the tax cut would pay for itself and the Treasury Department said it would actually increase tax receipts by $300 billion over 10 years?

Shazam! Quick as a flash, the administration now says tax receipts will be $314 billion lower in 2018, $400 billion lower in 2019 and even $200 billion lower in 2027 when the plan was supposed to be paying for itself."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/president-trump-has-finally-released-his-comic-book/2018/02/12/18cfb848-1045-11e8-9065-e55346f6de81_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-b%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.21b12907b120

[spidermike007]

This man will do anything, and everything that is within his power, to obey the lobbyists. He has re-populated the swamp with his own banksters, and lobbyists. He is trying to gain as much advantage for corporations, energy companies, weapons manufacturers, the timber interests, and others who are looking to strip the country bare, make war, and do as little as possible for the common man. He is the utter opposite of nobility, grace, diplomacy, and elegance. He does not possess one nanogram of decency, morality, or ethics. He3 absolutely refuses to ever speak the truth, as he and nearly everything he stands for is the polar opposite of truth. He will never do the right thing. He just does not have it in him.

Edited February 13, 2018 by spidermike007

[malibukid]

Border enforcement has resulted in a 41% reduction in apprehensions of illegals in the last year, yet Trump still wants his wall which is nothing more than a monument to his inflated ego and his demented followers.  the Wall was a fine idea for the Chinese in the 13th century, but makes no sense in the 21st. Drones are cheaper.  wait until he starts to cut back on SS and Medicare, than things will get real ugly fast.

[Twinkletoze]

1 hour ago, malibukid said:

Border enforcement has resulted in a 41% reduction in apprehensions of illegals in the last year, yet Trump still wants his wall which is nothing more than a monument to his inflated ego and his demented followers.  the Wall was a fine idea for the Chinese in the 13th century, but makes no sense in the 21st. Drones are cheaper.  wait until he starts to cut back on SS and Medicare, than things will get real ugly fast.

He is proposing today to cut back on Medicare and social security. There you go. 

[mania]

Quote

$716 billion in spending on military programs and for maintaining the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

There is the real problem as usual regardless of who is president

[jcsmith]

26 minutes ago, mania said:

There is the real problem as usual regardless of who is president

It's always high, but Trump claims the military has been depleted and has worked to increase it substantially.

[Thaidream]

The Trump budget is an  example of the selfishness and incompetence that runs rabid in this administration.  It truly is Robin Hood in reverse- Steal from the poor and give to the rich and then blame the budget deficit on things like Social Security and Medicare while the Military has the highest budget ever in the history of the World.  It is so obvious what Trump and his minions are doing, that it boggles my mind that his supporters cannot see the truth of this charade.

 

While the military and intelligence agencies get huge amounts of money to literally 'burn'. social security recipients get a lousy 2% raise over the last 3 years combined- forcing people who are 80 years of age in America to bag groceries to survive  or live off food stamps. In addition, Medicare only covers in patient care for free and the retiree is forced to purchase the rest of it by having it deducted from their benefit. In some cases Social Security benefits are taxed if one works over a certain limit or has a pension from another source.  Is it any wonder people are fleeing America if they can. T

 

Every time I think it can't get any worse- it does and I am afraid it will continue.

 

[ilostmypassword]

48 minutes ago, jcsmith said:

It's always high, but Trump claims the military has been depleted and has worked to increase it substantially.

What makes it truly bizarre is that Trump vowed to pull back from involvement with external problems to focus on issues at home. 

[Jingthing]

He won't pass much of this stuff now, but this is all part of a longer term

Paul Ryan / Ayn Randian strategy. Cut taxes so much and increase military spending so much that a rational argument can later be made to massively cut entitlement and domestic program spending because the government is FORCED to. Broke.

 

Anyone that STILL believes the "trump" populist ("cares about the little forgotten people") propaganda of the campaign is pathetically hopeless. He has kept one big and totally disgusting racist promise -- exploiting white resentment identity as much as possible. 

Edited February 13, 2018 by Jingthing

[Becker]

19 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

He won't pass much of this stuff now, but this is all part of a longer term

Paul Ryan / Ayn Randian strategy. Cut taxes so much and increase military spending so much that a rational argument can later be made to massively cut entitlement and domestic program spending because the government is FORCED to. Broke.

 

Anyone that STILL believes the "trump" populist ("cares about the little forgotten people") propaganda of the campaign is pathetically hopeless. He has kept one big and totally disgusting racist promise -- exploiting white resentment identity as much as possible. 

What's even more outlandish is that many of his most ardent supporters are on social programs such as Medicare - and still they won't pull their support.

Makes you wonder about some people.

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, Thaidream said:

The Trump budget is an  example of the selfishness and incompetence that runs rabid in this administration.  It truly is Robin Hood in reverse- Steal from the poor and give to the rich and then blame the budget deficit on things like Social Security and Medicare while the Military has the highest budget ever in the history of the World.  It is so obvious what Trump and his minions are doing, that it boggles my mind that his supporters cannot see the truth of this charade.

 

While the military and intelligence agencies get huge amounts of money to literally 'burn'. social security recipients get a lousy 2% raise over the last 3 years combined- forcing people who are 80 years of age in America to bag groceries to survive  or live off food stamps. In addition, Medicare only covers in patient care for free and the retiree is forced to purchase the rest of it by having it deducted from their benefit. In some cases Social Security benefits are taxed if one works over a certain limit or has a pension from another source.  Is it any wonder people are fleeing America if they can. T

 

Every time I think it can't get any worse- it does and I am afraid it will continue.

 

 

There is a good chance that during the reign of Alexander (the not so great), Genghis Khan, Hitler and Stalin, the percentage of GDP devoted to the military was higher than with Trump. But, if you exclude those maniacs, you are right. He seems hellbent on breaking the nations economy. Between his new budget, and the lack of infrastructure renewal he is proposing (deflecting the responsibility to the states, cities and private individuals is not exactly what this charlatan promised), he seems determined to make America into a third world nation, also the opposite of what he promised. Sorry folks. There is no making America great again. America is very broken, and that is not going to change, especially with a bankruptcy expert like the deflector in chief. 

 

DT- The art of I cannot make a deal to save my life. 

[Thaidream]

Trump has often been quoted as saying he loves debt; that he makes money by carrying debt and in reality he files bankruptcy; fires all his employees;  refuses to pay contractors; and then emerges todo it all over again. He appears to be running America the same way- only when countries go bankrupt no one will provide any real lending and the population suffers  and the country has to go to international organizations for a bailout and those organizations force draconian cuts in even essential services.

 

What amazes me is that the Republicans are going along with his madness and going from the party of balanced budgets to the party of huge deficits. Trump is selling everyone snake oil.

 

The only hope is that the Democrats  will get control of the Senate and get enough seats in the  House to force impeachment and the Senate convict.

 

I still maintain Trump refuses to release his tax returns because they will show massive influx of Russian money into his Trump Real Estate Business in which he was paid way over the market price for properties.  It's called money laundering and the Russians didn't do it for free.

[Gecko123]

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

He won't pass much of this stuff now, but this is all part of a longer term

Paul Ryan / Ayn Randian strategy. Cut taxes so much and increase military spending so much that a rational argument can later be made to massively cut entitlement and domestic program spending because the government is FORCED to. Broke.

 

Anyone that STILL believes the "trump" populist ("cares about the little forgotten people") propaganda of the campaign is pathetically hopeless. He has kept one big and totally disgusting racist promise -- exploiting white resentment identity as much as possible. 

People:

Listen up! This is exactly what's happening.

[boomerangutang]

Wait a kotonpikinminut.  $26 billion for an initial payment for the wall?  Surely the Mexican government will send 446,844,163,098 pesos for that.  I'm sure the check is in the mail.  Trump told us many times Mexico would pay for it.  He wouldn't lie, would he?!  

 

Edited February 13, 2018 by boomerangutang

[Jingthing]

You got me.

I admit it.

Wore me down. 

"trump" really is great!

The greatest CON MAN the world has ever seen. 

 

Quote

 

Trump tells a lot of little lies. This is the big one.

The Trump administration is an aberration, an outrage, a threat to the nation’s very soul. But most of all, it’s a great big fraud.

Voters who thought President Trump would at least try to fulfill his populist, America-first campaign promises were cynically and cruelly deceived. Trump placates these supporters with rhetoric, distracts them with cultural warfare and encourages them to seek refuge in cultural chauvinism. ...

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-tells-lots-of-little-lies-this-is-the-big-one/2018/02/12/6048e64e-1037-11e8-9065-e55346f6de81_story.html

[lannarebirth]

10 hours ago, jcsmith said:

It's always high, but Trump claims the military has been depleted and has worked to increase it substantially.

Costs have been escalating for a number of years and civilian contractors is one of the main reasons why. Many military members retire with pensions and then go back to the same job they always had at signifcantly higher pay.

 

http://www.allgov.com/news/where-is-the-money-going/contractors-account-for-22-percent-of-defense-dept-workforce-but-50-percent-of-workforce-cost?news=850315

[Scott]

Troll post and replies removed. 

[mrwebb8825]

On 2/13/2018 at 3:28 PM, Becker said:

What's even more outlandish is that many of his most ardent supporters are on social programs such as Medicare - and still they won't pull their support.

Makes you wonder about some people.

Got any facts to back that up or do you just have gas? 

[ilostmypassword]

11 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

Got any facts to back that up or do you just have gas? 

What we do know is the red states overwhelmingly receive more from the federal government than they give. Whereas with blue states it's just the opposite.

Of course given the massive increase in deficits due to the tax cuts and increased spending, it may be that all the states will all become in-the-red states.

Edited February 15, 2018 by ilostmypassword

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 12:25 PM, malibukid said:

Border enforcement has resulted in a 41% reduction in apprehensions of illegals in the last year, yet Trump still wants his wall which is nothing more than a monument to his inflated ego and his demented followers.  the Wall was a fine idea for the Chinese in the 13th century, but makes no sense in the 21st. Drones are cheaper.  wait until he starts to cut back on SS and Medicare, than things will get real ugly fast.

Perhaps you can inform the Israelis who love their wall that it makes no sense then. They are even building a new one as the old one works so well.

 

If they just use increased technology now, a future government can just stop funding it and back to square 1. A wall is there to stay.

 

America used to be a capitalist country and far as I know is still supposed to be. If the people want a socialist country, they should have voted for a socialist government.

Regardless, the Federal government is doing far too many things that should be done by the states, and it is time to return them to the states to look after. The feds shouldn't be involved in social welfare programmes anyway, except for federal employees.

Edited February 15, 2018 by thaibeachlovers

[ilostmypassword]

32 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Perhaps you can inform the Israelis who love their wall that it makes no sense then. They are even building a new one as the old one works so well.

 

If they just use increased technology now, a future government can just stop funding it and back to square 1. A wall is there to stay.

 

America used to be a capitalist country and far as I know is still supposed to be. If the people want a socialist country, they should have voted for a socialist government.

Regardless, the Federal government is doing far too many things that should be done by the states, and it is time to return them to the states to look after. The feds shouldn't be involved in social welfare programmes anyway, except for federal employees.

85 percent of the Israeli Wall is in the occupied territories. You think Mexico might object if 85 percent of it one is built there?

Most of the population of Israel is fully behind having a wall.

Not one congressman or Senator whose district or state borders on Mexico is in favor of the wall. In fact a majority of Americans are against it. 

To finance the wall Trump is cutting funding for proven and effective methods.

[ilostmypassword]

 

36 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

America used to be a capitalist country and far as I know is still supposed to be. If the people want a socialist country, they should have voted for a socialist government.

Regardless, the Federal government is doing far too many things that should be done by the states, and it is time to return them to the states to look after. The feds shouldn't be involved in social welfare programmes anyway, except for federal employees.

Definitely. Social Security and Medicare should be abolished.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

85 percent of the Israeli Wall is in the occupied territories. You think Mexico might object if 85 percent of it one is built there?

Most of the population of Israel is fully behind having a wall.

Not one congressman or Senator whose district or state borders on Mexico is in favor of the wall. In fact a majority of Americans are against it. 

To finance the wall Trump is cutting funding for proven and effective methods.

Good try at diversion, but no cigar.

The point about the Israeli wall is that it WORKS.

The mantra about the US wall is that apparently IT WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE.

[ilostmypassword]

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

Good try at diversion, but no cigar.

The point about the Israeli wall is that it WORKS.

The mantra about the US wall is that apparently IT WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE.

 You introduced the subject, not me. So if anyone is creating diversions, it's you. When you're writing something, do you actually know what your hand is doing? Or is this like automatic writing and Ronald Reagan has taken possession of your hand? Let me acquaint with what you wrote since apparently you haven't a clue that you wrote it:

"America used to be a capitalist country and far as I know is still supposed to be. If the people want a socialist country, they should have voted for a socialist government.

Regardless, the Federal government is doing far too many things that should be done by the states, and it is time to return them to the states to look after. The feds shouldn't be involved in social welfare programmes anyway, except for federal employees."

 

 

[ilostmypassword]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

 

The point about the Israeli wall is that it WORKS.

The mantra about the US wall is that apparently IT WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE.

As for your comment about wall working, first off, as noted it's mostly not in Israel. Which means that Israeli security forces have a buffer zone to catch transgressor.

Second, Israel devotes a huge amount of resources including tropps to patrolling the wall and associated security measures.

Third, Trump's proposed increase in border security personnel is ludicrously inadequate to handle the job.

Fourth, As far as I know, Israel isn't cutting proven effective measures to fund their wall. Trump is.

Fifth, Israel has a militarized population eager to assist the the military in catching infiltrators. The local popultion in the USA is overwhelmingly against the border wall.