Trump administration’s budget out of touch

“We’re not spending money on that anymore”, Mulvaney said of climate change research.

“Not just the compassion in terms of where the money goes, but the compassion in terms of where the money comes from”, the White House Office and Management and Budget director said.

He continued, “The way we justified it was: these programs are going to help these kids do better in school and get better jobs”.

Presidential budget plans outline the administration’s priorities but must be approved by Congress and are always changed in the process.

Predictably, Democrats denounced the proposed steep cuts to spending on domestic programs.

These agencies receive a pittance of our national budget yet inspire and empower our children, invigorate our national discourse, and promote appreciation of the rich and varied cultural heritages that contribute to our nation’s character.

EPA enforcement was also reduced by $129 million, and another $347 million was cleaved from the elimination of 50 agency programs, including environmental programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Chesapeake Bay Program and other regional programs.

Sources inside the EPA told CNN that they anticipated at least 25% in budget cuts, and possibly deeper. The USDA budget cut includes reducing staffing to USDA’s Service Center Agencies to streamline county office operations, reflect reduced RD workload and encourage private sector conservation planning. Trump’s $54 billion (Dh198.61 billion) increase in military spending looks to be how he will justify these cuts.

Slashed: The Superfund program for cleanup of contaminated sites would have its funding cut from about $1.1 billion to $762 million.

That means numerous agency’s programs would experience crippling budget cuts, while others would get wiped out entirely.

“When will you be able to propose a balanced budget?”

Environmentalists are counting on Congress to override much of what is being proposed. While Republicans control both the House and the Senate, history shows that for all their fiscal conservative talk, Republicans often are loath to actually cut the cord of federal spending.

Some budget items appear to be at odds with Trump’s rhetoric.

While the column is clearly critical of Trump’s budget plan, the White House linked to the piece on its 1600 Daily email newsletter.

Although government agencies and departments will see cuts, Trump confirms that his plan will not only work to the benefit of the American people but will guide the agencies to “achieve greater efficiency and to eliminate wasteful spending in carrying out their honorable service to the American people”.