President Trump is expected to propose a lean budget in on Monday, which is reported to attempt to curb spending and balance the federal budget in 15 years. The $4.8 trillion budget would reduce foreign aid by 21%, reduce Environmental Protection Agency spending by 26%, and beef up the defense budget.
Trump’s budget aims to raise spending at the Department of Homeland Security by 3%, the Defense Department by 0.3%, NASA by 12%, and the Department of Veterans Affairs by 13%. The Department of Commerce would be reduced by 37%, the Department of Housing and Urban Development by 15%, and the Center for Disease Control by 9%.
The budget aims to get $2 billion to fund the construction of the wall on the Southern Border, a move that is sure to upset the Democrat majority in the House of Representatives, although it is lower than Trump’s the last proposal, which asked for $5 billion in 2019.
Despite the responsible budget, which aims to reduce the United States’ debt, Democrats are already blasting it, with House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. John Yarmuth (D-NY) calling it “destructive and irresponsible.” He claims the President’s budget will cut “programs that help Americans make ends meet—all while extending his tax cuts for millionaires and wealthy corporations.”
The Wall Street Journal reports that the White House “projects the economy will grow 3.1% in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with a year earlier, and 3% in 2021.”