Donald Trump’s Budget Cuts by the Numbers: Here's what the president is proposing to do
President Donald Trump plans to cut billions of dollars of funding to government agencies to hike defense spending and build his wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a budget proposal released Thursday.
The preliminary proposal — "America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again" — is a budget outline for the coming fiscal year and requires Congressional approval. The "skinny budget" has been met with staunch opposition from Democrats, and some Republicans have objected to certain elements of the proposal.
On Thursday, Trump defended slashing the government budget to pay for the massive increase in military spending, tweeting the country "must make safety its no. 1 priority."
The "America First" budget does not concretely impact the government agencies targeted for cuts — those can only be made by Congress — but it's a first look at how Trump's vague campaign rhetoric could translate into actual policy and an outline of the administration's priorities.
Here's a numerical breakdown of Trump's budget proposal:
$54 billion
How much Trump wants to boost military spending, representing a 10% increase from this fiscal year to the next.
$2.6 billion
The amount of money Trump would like to set aside to start building his "beautiful" border wall — on top of the $1.5 billion he's already asking Congress to devote to the project in the current fiscal year.
$1.4 billion
How much Trump wants to invest in "school choice" initiatives like charter schools and private school vouchers, while slashing ...
$9 billion
... from the Department of Education, which would be the most dramatic budget cut the department has ever endured. The funding hit would "reduce or eliminate grants for teacher training and after-school programs," according to the Washington Post, and would cut financial aid to low-income Americans seeking to earn a college degree.
3,200
The number of employees at the Environmental Protection Agency who'd lose their jobs under Trump's proposed 31% budget cut to the agency. The EPA would be among the hardest hit agencies targeted by Trump's budget, which would also cut some $100 million in spending on research and international programs on combating climate change, according to Reuters; Trump and his EPA head, Scott Pruitt, are climate change deniers.
19
The number of agencies — including the National Endowment for the Arts — whose funding would be eliminated entirely under Trump's proposed budget.
28.5%
How much federal funding cuts Trump is proposing for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Many of those cuts were to "soft power" initiatives, Bloomberg reported. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson supported the sharp cuts in spending, saying "the level of spending that the State Department has been undertaking ... is simply not sustainable."
$6 billion
The amount Trump's budget would cut from the National Institutes of Health, which could cripple important scientific research that requires NIH funding, STAT news reported. The blueprint calls for a $15.1 billion cut overall to the Department of Health and Human Services, which houses the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as Medicare and Medicaid.
13.2%
The cut in Housing and Urban Development department spending Trump proposed Thursday. The proposal would also eliminate the Community Development Block Grant Program, which helps fund Meals on Wheels.
21%
Trump's budget cut to the Department of Agriculture. Farm groups say the cut could hurt farmers and rural communities, according to Reuters.
$2.5 billion
The amount Trump has proposed cutting from the Labor department. Job training programs — including those aimed at helping seniors, disadvantaged young people and unemployed Americans — are targeted in the cuts, the New York Times reports.
The administration plans to release its full budget in May.
