Federal Cuts are Rolling Out

President Trump has revealed his budget plan with major increases and cuts in spending.

The outline proposes a $54 billion increase in defense spending while also cutting non-defense spending at the State Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development the Environmental Protection Agency and dozens more of other federal programs.

Thousands of jobs would be lost, in the EPA alone almost 3,200 positions would be cut.

Reports say sources inside the EPA say they are expecting at least a 25% cut in their budget and are anticipating more. 

They say talks have been had for a while to decide grants to states aimed at protecting air, water and land. 

Union head for EPA employees, John O'Grady says the cuts are wrong.

"It is a sad day when a group of millionaires and billionaires in Washington can decide what's best for America's health and environment...how can this administration tell America that we will have clean air and clean water with a 25% reduction in US EPA's budget?"

The proposal, named " America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again" will also ask for eliminations for future funds put towards the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

White House Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney says this proposal is a "hard power budget".

"The President very clearly wants to send a message to our allies and our potential adversaries that this is strong power administration."

This budget is still in its preliminary stages and doesn't include revenue projections, impacts to mandatory spending or policy projections.

However, it does outline the cost of the president's plans for his border wall separating the US and Mexico.

Mulvaney says the budget includes a request for $1.5 billion as a first installment payment and will tack on another $2.26 billion in 2018 for the wall.

He says the full budget and a 10-year projection on the border wall will be released in May.


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