President Donald Trump has released his budget plan and the howling has begun.
… a $54 billion increase in defense spending and corresponding cuts to non-defense spending at the State Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and the wholesale elimination of other federal programs.
The blueprint features the broad strokes of Trump’s plan to dramatically remake the federal government, slashing EPA funds by 31%, State Department by 28% and HUD by 13.2%, while zeroing out 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, among others.
Meals on Wheels for senior shut-ins would be among the many popular programs getting the axe in favor of “hard power.” Appalachia, where coal country went for Trump, would lose its economic development grant money. Presumably the Delta would feel the pain, too. UPDATE: Indeed. It would put the Delta Regional Authority out of business.
If Trump and Congress succeed, they’ll move quickly to begin the strangulation of government that the right-wing has long lusted after. They are unapologetic, too. Consider this clip from a Trump interview with friendly Fox Newser Tucker Carlson about the plan to cut health spending so much that 24 million or more could lose coverage:
Tucker Carlson: “The counties who voted for you will do far worse under your plan”
Donald Trump: “Oh, I know…”
He has every reason to believe his base won’t abandon him, because facts are out of favor.