The good news is that Congress must approve a presidents proposed budget.
The bad news is that President Donald Trumps is so full of hurt that legislators will need to inspect it closely to ensure large swaths of the American public are not unduly damaged.
So how can a budget that is our biggest yet $4.7 trillion be so punitive? Because it puts more into the pots of defense and border security at the expense of safety net programs, education, and U.S. farmers.
President Trump proposed a 15 percent cut, or $3.6 billion, to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, calling its subsidies to farmers overly generous. If passed, the new budget would lower subsidies for crop insurance premiums from 62 percent to 48 percent. Also in harms way are what Mr. Trump refers to as small-scale farmers those who make less than $500,000 a year whose subsidies would be further limited.
Also under the USDA umbrella are food stamps, which would be cut by $17.4 billion.
In regards to health care, the proposed budget slashes Health and Human Services by $87.1 billion, or 12 percent. Most directly affected will be Medicaid, the medical service for the poor and elderly. Mr. Trump proposes to eliminate funding for its expansion under the Affordable Care Act. To date, 36 states have expanded Medicaid so that its umbrella of health insurance covers those who make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. Kansas remains a holdout.
Second will be 10 percent in cuts to Medicare, an expected decrease of $845 billion over the next 10 years.
Oh, did the president campaign on the premise that he would never reduce your Medicare? That would be false. As is his hands-off promise to Social Security, which is on the chopping block for $25 billion.
EDUCATION would see a 12 percent reduction in funding, affecting everything from school lunches to the student loan program, which would be cut by $207 billion.
Mr. Trump proposed $8.6 billion be cut for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Locally, that affects the budget of our Townhouse Apartments and other low-income housing units as well as the availability of Community Development Block Grants, which Mr. Trump proposes to eliminate.
A recent example of how CDBGs help communities is the $400,000 awarded to LaHarpe in 2017 to upgrade its electric grid. Total cost of the project to replace its aging poles and thousands of feet of electric lines was estimated at $790,000.
Overall, Mr. Trumps budget proposes an average of 9 percent in cuts to everything but defense, which is to receive a 5 percent boost of $34 billion to plump up its $750 billion annual budget, and an additional $8.6 billion for the border wall along Mexico.
The United States spends three times as much on defense as second-place China, and more than 10 times that of Russia, which ranks third overall in defense spending.
IF NOTHING else, Mr. Trumps budget is a roadmap for where he wants to take the country, making clear the demarcation between winners and losers.
Never before have the contrasts been so stark.
Susan Lynn
