Trump has released a new budget proposal, and it leaves low-income American people in the dust.
On Thursday, President Trump released a $1.15 trillion budget proposal named “America First.” It outlines a $54 billion increase in defense spending, cuts to non-defense spending in various departments and the complete elimination of other federal programs.
“We are going to do more with less, and make the government lean and accountable to the people,” Trump said, according to Fox News.
CNN reports the blueprint released Thursday morning proposes significant cuts—reducing EPA funds by 31 percent, State Department funds by 28 percent and Department of Housing and Urban Development funds by 13.2 percent. Trump also proposed completely eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts and the United States Institute of Peace, to name a few.The proposal only covers discretionary spending, not mandatory spending, according to The Washington Post.
The most problematic of all the cuts are the ones to programs that would provide assistance to low-income Americans in all areas. The Post reports that Trump’s budget plan would slash programs that aid Americans with affordable housing, banking, weatherizing homes, job training, paying home heating oil bills and getting legal counsel in civil matters.
According to the Post, during his presidential campaign, Trump said that giving poor people incentives to work was the key to solving poverty—but fast-forward a year and his proposal would cut the programs aimed at helping the working poor and unemployed Americans.
The budget also calls for cuts in funding to multinational organizations such as the World Bank, which would lose $650 million in funding. This aligns with Trump’s statement that his blueprint would include “deep cuts to foreign aid.”
Some Twitter users are noting the irony between “America First” and Trump’s slogan of “Make America Great Again” and his proposed cuts, particularly to the “Meals on Wheels” program that provides food to elderly, impovershed citizens.
Make America Great Again. Yep, #MealsOnWheels and Sesame Street are what has been holding us back all these years.#Budget2017
— Tina Bowling (@T_Bowling) March 16, 2017
Who cares about the environment or the future of our !
Let’s build up the military so that it can protect OIL & MONEY!#Budget2017 #budget pic.twitter.com/kYoi6Fzepo— MiamiGator (@GatorsEite23) March 16, 2017
A millionaire makes us pay for his golf weekends and tells us we can’t have food, health, science, or art #Budget2017
— Tim (@LiquidDestroyer) March 16, 2017
Mexico won’t pay for the wall. So, the @GOP & #DontheCon are making the elderly & poor pay it.#Budget2017 #MealsOnWheels #SeniorHunger pic.twitter.com/Q0Se1eDSEs
— Unconstitutional EC (@voteouttheec) March 16, 2017
“It’s time to prioritize the security and well-being of Americans, and to ask the rest of the world to step up and pay its fair share,” Trump said, as The Guardian reports.
Fox News reports that the proposal also aims for an immediate $1.4 billion of funds allocated to Trump’s southern border wall and another $2.6 billion planned for the 2018 budget year.
“This is a hard power budget, not a soft power budget,” Mick Mulvaney, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said according to CNN.