President Trump, during his fifth month in office, released his budget plan for the fiscal year 2018 called "The New Foundation for American Greatness.” With the new budget, Trump plans on bringing about significant changes over the next decade. Over these next few years, it is our job as a society to keep informed to understand the impact new changes might have on our daily lives. According to the Concord Coalition, the United States has over $18 trillion in debt. We can only hope that Trump's new budget will aid in decreasing the debt.
Safety has a big budget
Throughout Trump's campaign, he promised to crack down on National and Border Security, and with his new budget plan, he is doing just that. National Security, Border Security, and Law Enforcement together have a budget of $54 billion, according to The New York Times.
I can understand why, since there have been recent attacks in the name of ISIS. With all this money planned to spend on defense, Trump still plans on building a wall with $1.9 billion set aside in the budget, according to The New York Times. The push to keep us safe makes sense, especially after the attack at Ariana Grande's concert in Manchester.
Tax-payer first budget
"The title should have been a tax-payer first budget.
The budget plan specifically aims towards those who pay their taxes and away from those who are on the back end of the program, the recipient of the tax-payer budget," said Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget.
According to President Trump's budget plan, he will cut $3.6 trillion in federal spending over the next ten years, and with more money poured into security; Trump had decided to cut from other programs.
For example, the tax-payer first budget will be cutting $800 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. Other important programs such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, will be cut by $193 billion, according to Washington Post.
In addition to budget cuts, President Trump plans to prevent many people from receiving food stamps, in an effort get people off of the program.
The budget plan also addresses preventing taxpayer bailouts, which helps businesses that are struggling with debt get back on their feet again.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps those who are financially struggling to pay their energy bills, is also cut significantly. The list of programs with budgets cut is quite long, but the most shocking is the $9.2 billion cut that Trump is taking from the education department, according to The New York Times.
With the Trump administration cracking down on food stamps and energy assistance, it is difficult to see how people with a low income will be able to function, especially if they have children attending school.
