Trump's Proposed 20% Budget Increase

[dean.engelhardt]

With all the cuts in this proposal to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, there is still almost a 20% increase in spending, That is $700 billion more than the government spent last year.

WASHINGTON — President Trump sent Congress on Monday a record $4.75 trillion budget plan that calls for increased military spending and sharp cuts to domestic programs like education and environmental protection for the 2020 fiscal year.
Mr. Trump’s budget, the largest in federal history, includes a nearly 5 percent increase in military spending — which is more than the Pentagon had asked for — and an additional $8.6 billion for construction of a wall along the border with Mexico. It also contains what White House officials called a total of $1.9 trillion in cost savings from mandatory safety-net programs, like Medicaid and Medicare, the federal health care programs for the elderly and the poor.

I won't support in budget that is not balanced. In good economic times, the government should not be taking on any debt!

[dean.engelhardt]

2018 Budget and Spending data:

The United States federal budget for fiscal year 2018, which ran from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018, was named America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again. It was the first budget proposed by newly-elected President Donald Trump, submitted to the 115th Congress on March 16, 2017. Wikipedia

Total expenditures: $4.094 trillion (requested)
Total revenue: $3.654 trillion (estimated)
Deficit: $440 billion (requested) $779 billion (actual)
Submitted: March 16, 2017
Submitted by: Donald Trump
Submitted to: 115th Congress

[TheTexan]

I won't support in budget that is not balanced.

Spending is going up by quite a lot and the debt also is going up by quite a lot. Seems fairly balanced to me.

[TheTexan]

2018 Budget and Spending data:

The United States federal budget for fiscal year 2018, which ran from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018, was named America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again. It was the first budget proposed by newly-elected President Donald Trump, submitted to the 115th Congress on March 16, 2017. Wikipedia

Total expenditures: $4.094 trillion (requested)
Total revenue: $3.654 trillion (estimated)
Deficit: $440 billion (requested) $779 billion (actual)
Submitted: March 16, 2017
Submitted by: Donald Trump
Submitted to: 115th Congress

That budget made America OK again, but to really make America great we need way more spending on our vast overseas military empire. It needs to be about 20% vaster at least.

[devil21]

DoD budget up to near $800B and that's just the on-the-books (DoD...books...lol pffft) spending for one budget request. The supplementals and special war funds and whatnot are always extra. IIRC, that means DoD budget has approximately doubled over the last 8-10 years.

[Brian4Liberty]

Gee, wonder what Pelosi will do with this “budget”?

My guess is that this is the Trump administration posturing. Pelosi might cut the MIC money, and Trump will blame it on her. But she may leave it the same and add more to everything else. Free money for everyone!

Too bad Trump’s opening bid wasn’t a $1 trillion budget. Total.

[Brian4Liberty]

That budget made America OK again, but to really make America great we need way more spending on our vast overseas military empire. It needs to be about 20% vaster at least.

It needs to be enough for simultaneous wars on Iran and Venezuela. Cuba and North Korea can be in the next budget.

[Superfluous Man]

With all the cuts in this proposal to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, there is still almost a 20% increase in spending, That is $700 billion more than the government spent last year.



I won't support in budget that is not balanced. In good economic times, the government should not be taking on any debt!

Where are the additions that make up the full 20%? If it's really only a 5% increase in military, that still leaves a huge amount, and it's allegedly lessened by those cuts mentioned (which I suspect are not real cuts, which will account for part of the increases).

[oyarde]

What are the specific increases that are not mandatory ?

[Zippyjuan]

Gee, wonder what Pelosi will do with this “budget”?

My guess is that this is the Trump administration posturing. Pelosi might cut the MIC money, and Trump will blame it on her. But she may leave it the same and add more to everything else. Free money for everyone!

Too bad Trump’s opening bid wasn’t a $1 trillion budget. Total.

He would have to get rid of his babies- all of the Department of Homeland Security, his wall, all of the department of defense, every other department and their employees, all of Medicare and Medicaid and throw half the people off Social Security (sorry Grannie- it will be dumpster diving and cat food for you!). That leaves about $400 billion for interest on the debt and about $600 billion left for Social Security.

[Zippyjuan]

Where are the additions that make up the full 20%? If it's really only a 5% increase in military, that still leaves a huge amount, and it's allegedly lessened by those cuts mentioned (which I suspect are not real cuts, which will account for part of the increases).

He is overstating the increase. 2019 spending was $4.4 trillion and the new request is for 4.75 trillion- $350 billion more. Some is probably cost of living increases in Social Security and rising interest on the debt too. Defense spending up about $50 billion. Cuts are over 10 years and are usually "back loaded" meaning that most of them don't come into effect until towards the end of that time by which people have forgotten about those promised cuts.

Cuts are also sometimes actually reductions in the expected increases. "Instead of raising your budget by $20 billion, we will only raise it by $10 billion. I have now just cut $10 billion in spending! (even though spending is actually higher).

Congress writes the budget anyways- starting with the Democrat controlled House- this one is DOA.