U.S. President Donald Trump proposes a record $4.7-trillion US federal budget for 2020, relying on optimistic 3.1 per cent economic growth projections alongside accounting shuffles and steep domestic cuts to bring future spending into promised balance in 15 years. The deficit is projected to hit $1.1 trillion in the 2020 fiscal year, the highest in a decade. The administration is counting on robust growth, including from the Republican tax cuts — which Trump wants to make permanent — to push down the red ink. Some economists, though, say the bump from the tax cuts is waning, and they project slower growth in coming years. The national debt is $22 trillion. Even with his own projections, Trump's budget would not come into balance for a decade and a half, rather than the traditional hope of balancing in 10. Presidential budgets tend to be seen as aspirational blueprints, rarely becoming enacted policy, and Trump's proposal for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 sets up a showdown with Congress over priorities, including his push for $8.6 billion to build the U.S-Mexico border wall. Titled "A Budget for a Better America: Promises Kept. Taxpayers First," Trump's proposal "embodies fiscal responsibility," said Russ Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget. Despite the large projected deficits, Vought said the administration has "prioritized reining in reckless Washington spending" and shows "we can return to fiscal sanity." President Trump’s FY 2020 budget is available online now: https://t.co/XvE7e6mEtP pic.twitter.com/AKWRnRg1rR —@USGPO Perhaps most notably among spending proposals, Trump is reviving his border wall fight. Fresh off the longest government shutdown in history, his 2020 plan shows he is eager to confront Congress again over the wall. The border wall remains a signature issue for the president and is poised to stay at the forefront of his agenda, even though Congress has resisted giving him more money for it. Leading Democrats immediately rejected the proposal. "Congress refused to fund his wall and he was forced to admit defeat and reopen the government. The same thing will repeat itself if he tries this again," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York. They said the money "would be better spent on rebuilding America." Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer, a House rep since 1981, said the budget reflected the administration's "separation from reality." The #TrumpBudget reflects the Admin’s separation from reality. It puts our country at risk of a another shutdown by demanding border wall $, proposes repealing the ACA, & uses gimmicks that make it harder for the military to engage in long-term planning. https://t.co/P0jx9KK8vn —@LeaderHoyer In seeking $8.6 billion for more than 480 kilometres of new border wall, the budget request would more than double the $8.1 billion already potentially available to the president for the wall after he declared a national emergency at the border last month in order to circumvent Congress — although there's no guarantee he'll be able to use that money if he faces a legal challenge, as is expected. The standoff over the wall led to a 35-day partial government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history. Senate vote on emergency declaration imminent Along with border wall money, the proposed budget will also increase funding to increase the "manpower" of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and Customs and Border Patrol at a time when many Democrats are calling for cuts of those areas. The budget also proposes policy changes to end sanctuary cities, the administration said. The budget arrives as the Senate readies to vote this week to terminate Trump's national emergency declaration. The Democratic-led House already did so, and a handful of Republican senators, uneasy over what they see as an overreach of executive power, are expected to join Senate Democrats in following suit. Congress appears to have enough votes to reject Trump's declaration but not enough to overturn a veto. Republican Senators have a very easy vote this week. It is about Border Security and the Wall (stopping Crime, Drugs etc. ), not Constitutionality and Precedent. It is an 80% positive issue. The Dems are 100% United, as usual, on a 20% issue, Open Borders and Crime. Get tough R’s! —@realDonaldTrump Trump invoked the emergency declaration after Congress approved nearly $1.4 billion for border barriers, far less than the $5.7 billion he wanted. By doing that, he can potentially tap an additional $3.6 billion from military accounts and shift it to building the wall. That's causing discomfort on Capitol Hill, where even the president's Republican allies are protective of their power to decide how to allocate federal dollars. Lawmakers are trying to guard money that's already been approved for military projects in their states — for base housing or other improvements. A wall with Mexico played a big part in Trump's campaign for the White House, and it's expected to again be featured in his 2020 re-election effort. He used to say Mexico would pay for it, but Mexico has refused to do so. As Trump has reacted with alarm to caravans heading toward the southern border, critics have the administration on doing enough to provide aid to the countries that are the primary source of the migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. Migrants walk up a riverbank at the Mexico-U.S. border last November after getting past a line of Mexican police at the Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana as they try to reach the U.S. Trump has been alarmed by recent migrant caravans, but his administration has continued to propose steep cuts in foreign aid for developing countries. (Ramon Espinosa/Associated Press) The budget proposal calls for a 23 per cent decrease for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The administration proposed steep cuts in aid to Latin America and the Caribbean in its very first budget — ranging from 20 to 40 per cent for most countries — but Congress rejected the plan, keeping funding relatively stable compared to previous years. An administration official said Trump's budget proposes increasing defence spending to $750 billion — and building the new Space Force as a military branch — while reducing non-defence accounts by five per cent, with cuts recommended to economic safety-net programs used by many Americans. The $2.7 trillion in proposed spending cuts is higher than any administration in history, they say. The budget includes work requirements for those receiving food stamps and other government aid as part of the $2.7 trillion in non-defence cuts over the decade. Greater opioid resources proposed The plan sticks to budget caps that both parties have routinely broken in recent years. To stay within the caps, the budget shifts a portion of the defence spending, some $165 billion, to an overseas contingency fund, which some fiscal hawks will view as an accounting gimmick. Conservatives railed for years against deficits that rose during the first years of Barack Obama's administration as tax revenue plummeted and spending increased during the Great Recession. By refusing to raise the budget caps, Trump is signalling a fight ahead. The president has resisted big, bipartisan budget deals that break the caps — threatening to veto one last year — but Congress will need to find agreement on spending levels to avoid another federal shutdown in the fall. The Democratic chair of the House budget committee, Congressman John Yarmuth of Kentucky, called the proposed cuts to essential services "dangerous." He said Trump added nearly $2 trillion to deficits with the Republican's "tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations, and now it appears his budget asks the American people to pay the price," the Democrat said. Learn about our proposed $1 billion in grants to spur innovation in the child care sector & increase the supply of high-quality, affordable child care to underserved populations. #POTUSbudget https://t.co/iTiuW1cIOu —@IvankaTrump While pushing down spending in some areas, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the proposal will seek to increase funding in others to align with the president's priorities, according to one official. The administration will invest more than $80 billion for veterans services, a nearly 10 per cent increase from current levels, including "significant" investments in rehabilitation, employment assistance and suicide prevention.<doc-sep>Trump indicated there would be major cuts in domestic programs. In his proposed 2020 budget released Monday, President Donald Trump indicated there would be major cuts in domestic programs and boosts to spending at the Department of Defense. Trump is also calling for 5 percent cuts to non-defense spending. Under the plan, the Environmental Protection Agency would see a 31 percent decrease in funding, the Education Department would take a 12 percent cut and the Department of Energy an 11 percent decrease. Here are some highlights from the White House's proposal. Environmental Protection Agency The proposed budget contains massive cuts to the agency overall and various environmental programs. According to the proposal, the cuts are to "voluntary and lower-priority activities," so that the agency could focus on finalizing replacements to Obama-era policies, improving the agency's toxic chemicals program, cleaning up contaminated sites, helping communities remove hazards at schools like lead and asbestos and providing more money to improve water infrastructure. The proposal eliminates $650 million in programs, including programs focused on areas the agency says are a priority: - Multiple programs specifically focused on reducing risks of lead exposure and improving water quality - The program that researches health risks from endocrine disrupting chemicals like BPA, the agency says it will be absorbed into the pesticides program - A partnership between federal agencies, states, and advocacy groups to improve the Gulf of Mexico - Locally focused programs including the Long Island Sound, San Francisco Bay, and Everglades and Florida Keys - A program that addresses indoor pollution and asthma triggers like secondhand smoke, mold, and pests - $10 million in infrastructure programs to improve waster facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border. Local programs focused on the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes face 90 percent cuts to their budgets. In previous years Congress has rejected similar cuts and kept EPA's funding mostly consistent or increased funding for some programs. The State Department Trump's budget proposal hits the State Department again with deep cuts, even after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised to get the department's "swagger" back and "get the team on the field." This is the first proposal under Pompeo, but the budget still calls for a nearly 24 percent decrease in funding for State and USAID. The proposal provides an additional $13.6 million for human resources and $11 million for the Foreign Service Institute, which trains diplomats. However, despite the department's empty senior positions and chronic vacancies overseas, as documented in a new government report, the budget proposal largely keeps staff levels even, according to budget director Douglas Pitkin. The cuts instead would come from U.S. contributions to international organizations like the United Nations, peacekeeping missions overseas in places like Darfur and Haiti, global health and refugee programs and a reorganization of USAID and how it distributes humanitarian assistance. Those have been part of Trump's foreign policy for two years now, although other positions are contrasted by the budget request: While Trump has threatened to slash aid to Central American countries over immigration, the budget proposal calls for increased economic assistance to enhance "governance and boost local economies to discourage illegal immigration," according to Deputy Secretary John Sullivan. Last month, Trump announced a new initiative to "defeat AIDS in America and beyond," yet his budget calls for major cuts to programs that treat and combat HIV/AIDS overseas. Congress has rejected these proposed cuts for the past two years when Republicans controlled both chambers. Now, with Democrats in charge of the House, this year's proposal is even less likely to be enacted. Rep. Eliot Engel, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has already released a statement calling it "dead on arrival." Medicaid Trump wants the government to cut some $1.4 trillion in the next 10 years from federal Medicaid spending and shift most of that money to state-run grant programs. The federal program provides medical assistance to millions of low-income and disabled Americans and the move would essentially wipe out the expansion effort led under President Barack Obama, in favor of limited block grants. According to the administration, the plan is provide “additional flexibility to states” and put Medicaid “on a path to fiscal stability by restructuring its financing and reducing waste.” Immigration enforcement The budget proposal aims to ramp up immigration enforcement on the border and within the U.S. In addition to $8.6 billion more for the border wall, the plan would fund 5,000 new Border Patrol Agents, allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement to add 10,000 officers and investigators and expand detention centers, according to the White House budget office. When Trump first came into office, ICE facilities held an average of 34,376 people on any given day. Last week that number topped 50,000 and the new proposed budget would allow for further increases. The proposal also includes proposals aimed at “sanctuary cities.” The measures would allow the administration to withhold funding from cities that don’t “cooperate with specific federal immigration enforcement activities and requests.” The Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on these jurisdictions have been stopped by appellate courts multiple times. The proposal would also increase Justice Department funding to grow the number of immigration judges by nearly 20 percent, the budget office says. The judges face a record backlog of cases, made worse by the government shutdown earlier this year. Education The Trump administration is looking to cut $7.1 billion from the department compared to what it was given last year. The cuts would include eliminating 29 programs that "do not address national needs, duplicate other programs, are ineffective, are poorly targeted, or are more appropriately supported by State, local, or private funds." You can read more about the proposal for the Education Department here. ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs, Conor Finnegan, Anne Flaherty, Quinn Owen and Sophie Tatum.<doc-sep>WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump called for deep cuts in environmental and safety net programs, billions more for his border wall and a huge boost for the military in a $4.75 trillion 2020 budget proposal that is unlikely to gain traction in Congress. Trump delivered his first budget under a divided government Monday, a road map that would not balance the books for 15 years despite deep reductions. The proposal also called for $8.6 billion for Trump's border wall, a request Democrats flatly rejected. "Congress has been ignoring the president's spending reductions for the last two years," Trump's top budget aide, Russell Vought, told reporters when pressed for an explanation about why the budget anticipates a $1.1 trillion deficit next year. Even before Democrats claimed control of the House, similar proposals by Trump failed in Congress. The schism between the president's wish list and actual government spending only deepened after a dispute over the border wall led to a 35-day partial government shutdown that ended in January. "This is not a serious proposal," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Presidential budgets, required by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, for decades have had more to do with politics than policy. With the 2020 election underway, the document gives Trump an opportunity to lay out a vision he can trumpet to supporters. Not your budget:'Get rid of the fat': Why Uncle Sam's budget is different from yours What Trump wants The White House is eager to sell three messages with the president's third budget: that Trump hasn’t given up on building his long-promised border wall, that he wants to increase military spending and that he hopes to slash just about everything else. The president requested $8.6 billion more for his wall, just weeks after Congress failed to approve his demand for $5.7 billion. With both sides dug in on the issue, the latest proposal is certain to go nowhere. Trump declared a national emergency in February, a move the White House says will free up billions more for the wall. Trump is also requesting billions more in spending at the Defense Department – one of the few priorities that could gain some attention from lawmakers. After initially considering Pentagon cuts last year, the White House embraced a proposal to increase the Defense Department’s budget 5 percent to $750 billion. Other proposals include: • A $2.8 billion, or 31 percent reduction in for the Environmental Protection Agency and a $327 billion cut to safety-net programs. Some of that reduction would be carried out by imposing a work requirement for food stamps, Medicaid and other programs. • A new user fee on e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery system products to "address today’s alarming rise in youth e-cigarette use." • Nearly $315 million to hire an additional 1,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and 128 immigration court prosecuting attorneys. • Almost $300 million toward the goal eliminating nearly all new infections of HIV/AIDS within 10 years. Why it won't happen Some proposals in Trump's budget could become law, but most of the high-profile items will face tough odds. Trump has proposed many of the same changes before, without success. Last year’s budget, which came at a time when Republicans controlled both the House and Senate, included $18 billion for the border wall. His 2017 budget proposed eliminating 62 federal agencies entirely. Congress largely ignored those requests and many others. None of those agencies was eliminated and lawmakers approved only $1.37 billion for border barriers. That partly reflects a politically divided Congress but also the fact that the president's budget has long been viewed as a wish list. Government printers published about 20,000 hard copies of the president's budget, and a spokesman for the Government Publishing Office says the online version of the document averages about 2 million retrievals each year. The budget proposal must include information about how much the government collected in taxes and other revenue, the public debt and proposed spending priorities. But the real work of spending taxpayer money is handled by the congressional appropriations process. And that means Democrats and Republicans must work together to decide which programs should be prioritized. Even some Republicans remained noncommittal about the White House proposal. “I look forward to reviewing additional details," said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, "Throughout the next few months, the (committee) will conduct hearings and carefully review the president’s proposal."<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump proposed a record $4.7 trillion federal budget for 2020 on Monday, relying on optimistic 3.1 percent economic growth projections alongside accounting shuffles and steep domestic cuts to bring future spending into promised balance in 15 years. The deficit is projected to hit $1.1 trillion in the 2020 fiscal year, the highest in a decade. The administration is counting on robust growth, including from the Republican tax cuts — which Trump wants to make permanent — to push down the red ink. Some economists, though, say the bump from the tax cuts is waning, and they project slower growth in coming years. The national debt is $22 trillion. Some fiscal watchdogs panned the effort as more piling on of debt by Trump with no course correction in sight. Even with his own projections, Trump’s budget would not come into balance for a decade and a half, rather than the traditional hope of balancing in 10. Still, Trump contended the nation is experiencing “an economic miracle.” He said in a letter to Congress accompanying the plan that the country’s next step must be “turbocharging the industries of the future and establishing a new standard of living for the 21st century.” Presidential budgets tend to be seen as aspirational blueprints, rarely becoming enacted policy, and Trump’s proposal for the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, sets up a showdown with Congress over priorities, including his push for $8.6 billion to build the U.S-Mexico border wall. Titled “A Budget for a Better America: Promises Kept. Taxpayers First,” Trump’s proposal “embodies fiscal responsibility,” said Russ Vought, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget. Despite the large projected deficits, Vought said the administration has “prioritized reining in reckless Washington spending” and shows “we can return to fiscal sanity.” The budget calls the approach “MAGAnomics,” after the president’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan. Some fiscal watchdogs, though, panned the effort as more piling on of debt by Trump with no course correction in sight. Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said Trump “relies on far too many accounting gimmicks and fantasy assumptions and puts forward far too few actual solutions.” She warned the debt load will lead to slower income growth and stalled opportunities for Americans. Perhaps most notably among spending proposals, Trump is reviving his border wall fight. Fresh off the longest government shutdown in history, his 2020 plan shows he is eager to confront Congress again over the wall. Trump’s budget proposes increasing defense spending to $750 billion — and building the new Space Force as a military branch — while reducing nondefense accounts by 5 percent, with cuts recommended to economic safety-net programs used by many Americans. The $2.7 trillion in proposed spending cuts over the decade is higher than any administration in history, they say. The budget imposes work requirements for those receiving food stamps and other government aid as part of the cutbacks. The Department of Housing and Urban Development faces a 16 percent cut and for Education, a 12 percent reduction. Trump’s budget would re-open two health care battles he lost in his first year in office: repealing “Obamacare” and limiting future federal spending on Medicaid for low-income people. Under the budget, both programs would be turned over to the states starting in 2021. The plan sticks to budget caps that both parties have routinely broken in recent years. To stay within the caps, the budget shifts a portion of the defense spending, some $165 billion, to an overseas contingency fund, which some fiscal hawks will view as an accounting gimmick. Conservatives railed for years against deficits that rose during the first years of Barack Obama’s administration as tax revenue plummeted and spending increased during the Great Recession. But even with Republican control of Congress during the first two years of the Trump administration, deficits were on a steady march upward. The top Democrat on the Appropriation Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said the budget is “not a serious proposal.” By refusing to raise the budget caps, Trump is signaling a fight ahead. The president has resisted big, bipartisan budget deals that break the caps — threatening to veto one last year — but Congress will need to find agreement on spending levels to avoid another federal shutdown in the fall.