There are some trump voters in Ohio who are hoping that provisions in the president's budget will never pass. If they do, the result could be hardship and pain and for some probable ruin. The New York Times reported Sunday the reactions of Donald's followers in Trumbull County where he won by a huge margin.
Every program aimed at helping the poor and those in trouble will be cut if Trump has his way. It seems the main reason the Ohio voters stay loyal is because they believe the president will protect them from terrorists who come from abroad.
Trumbull is not great again yet
The county hopes greatness will return, according to the Times. But it is filled with the classic signs of what is never coming back. One-time steel mills are now abandoned and rusted out. Factories once filled with workers are shuttered. People try to survive on a median household income of $42,368. The population is declining. This familiar litany can be repeated in many counties all through the US.
Needed clarity
Two things help clarify a tale that tends toward woe. The first is that the Trump budget must be passed. Prospects for that diminish as the document is read and understood. The budget cuts many departments and refuses any increase save for the military.
The military is the beneficiary of every cent saved by essentially eviscerating the rest of the government. The second needed clarity is that even if the Trump budget is roundly defeated, the people in Trumbull County will by then know that the president did not have their back.
Some heartland blowback
It is not from Park Avenue liberals that the most serious objection to the budget emerges.
Julie Edwards is economic development coordinator for Trumbull's planning commission. She says, "I don’t think people are making the connection between cutting the HUD funds and paving our streets or building new affordable housing.”
In Ohio County That Backed Trump, Word of Housing Cuts Stirs Fear https://t.co/0V6zA0R9lY
— Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) April 2, 2017
GOP congressman Hal Rogers of neighboring Kentucky is considerably more blunt. He says the Trump budget is "skinny, draconian, careless and counterproductive.”