Crosstalk: Is Trump budget good for America?

Trump is demanding that Congress learn the difference between a “want” and a “need,” something that is long overdue. If he can reduce the bloat of government and rein in regulations, most of America’s social problems will be solved — because federal interventionist policies have caused most of them.

There are constitutional and common sense arguments to be made against every liberal domestic policy that is now burdening taxpayers.

The founders established only four cabinet level activities: foreign relations through the State Department; national defense through the Department of Defense; taxation and spending through the Department of Treasury; and enforcement of federal law through the Department of Justice.

Today, there are nearly four times as many cabinet level agencies as the founders thought necessary, given that states were supposed to have control of other services.

Trump’s budget blueprint that deals only with discretionary spending is heavy on core government issues — you know, the powers actually granted to the feds by the Constitution, such as defense and immigration.

When a candidate runs on an “America first” platform, one should expect that defense wins out over foreign aid, hence the $11 billion cut in the State Department budget, which is now $47.4 billion.

Tump wants to put $1.5 billion into a down payment on the border wall, along with hiring additional judges to deal with deportations.

Our president is calling for a $54 billion increase in defense spending, raising it to $603 billion, to rebuild the military decimated under Obama, in part, so we can address the threat posed by Islamic extremists.

On the chopping block in the “want” department is funding for the National Endowment for the Arts ($148 million), the National Endowment for the Humanities ($148 million), and Corporation for Public Broadcasting ($445 million). Where does the Constitution grant the federal government authority to spend money on these programs?

Trump is also fulfilling a promise to allocate an extra $1.4 billion to school choice programs and pare $9 billion from the Department of Education’s $68 billion budget.

The U.S. pours more money into its public-school system than any other nation and doesn’t even rank in the top five as far as achievement. That is not an acceptable return on investment. Perhaps a little competition will change that scenario.

Schools are best operated by those closest to the students, so the federal Department of Education should be eliminated altogether and control returned to the states.

Now to get to a major cut in Trump’s budget that I see as social justice. He is seeking to curb the Environmental Protection Agency, which has been responsible for decimating economies in rural areas and stomping on constitutional property rights.

This out-of-control agency will lose one-third of its $8 billion annual budget, and more than 3,000 activist employees will have to hunt for real jobs.

Although lefties are enraged by Trump fulfilling his campaign promises, his greatest threat to actually getting his budget proposal through Congress is the fact that career politicians on the GOP side worry more about getting re-elected than actually fulfilling their oath to adhere to constitutional principles.

Can Republicans with collapsible spines stand up to a hostile media and leftist outrage to change the way business is done in the nation’s capital? If they don’t, we will careen from freedom and prosperity into mediocrity or something far worse.

In total, the U.S. government is projected to spend $4 trillion next year — two-thirds mandatory spending going to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and interest on the national debt.

— RaeLynn Ricarte

On March 16, President Donald Trump unveiled his proposed budget for fiscal year 2018, which begins on Oct. 1 of this year.

Well, at least we have some time to brace ourselves.

Titled “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again,” the budget is a radical document that appears to set citizens adrift to take care of themselves as best they can while the military is lavished with much more spending than the 54 percent of the federal budget it now enjoys.

President Trump wants to add more than $53 billion to defense spending, while programs American citizens have long relied on would be slashed or trashed. These drastic cuts would have a harmful impact on numerous American communities.

There are too many cutbacks to list, but here’s a partial rundown of programs that would be eliminated entirely: the 21st Century Community Learning Center, which supports after-school programs. The Advanced Research Projects Agency, which funds clean energy research. Community Development Block Grants, which help fund Meals on Wheels. (According to Trump administration officials, Meals on Wheels is “not showing any results.”) The Weatherization Assistance Program, which helps people stay warm during the winter. The Senior Community Service Employment Program, which helps low-income job-seekers 55 and older find work. (The administration labeled this program “ineffective” because only about half of those who complete the program find jobs.) Gone too would be the infrastructure-friendly Department of Transportation’s TIGER grants, which fund critical development projects to enhance our nation’s ports, roads, and railways.

Other programs will be drastically curtailed. For example, Amtrak passenger trains currently serve 46 states, but if this budget is approved, Amtrak would be active in just 23 states because money for Amtrak’s long-distance trains would be withdrawn. As a result, service between the Columbia River Gorge and the Midwest would disappear, as would service from Portland-Vancouver to Los Angeles.

The budget for the National Institute of Health, which funds research into treatment and improved early detection of lung cancer and other lung diseases, would be cut. Funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be reduced by 16.3 percent. The Labor Department would lose 20.7 percent, while the Department of Education would lose 13.5 percent. The Environmental Protection Agency is in line for a 31.4 percent slashing, with a proposed work force reduction of roughly 20 percent. And the Department of Agriculture would see a 20.7 percent reduction. There is even a 14 percent cut for the U.S. Coast Guard, which has saved countless lives.

What will the savings from these harsh cutbacks buy us? Besides a massive increase in military spending, the budget calls for hiring 1,500 more immigration enforcement agents; funding more charter schools; and allocating $2.6 billion for a border wall with Mexico – even though no decision has been made as to what type of wall it would be or what route it might follow. To highlight the absurdity of this project, Trump wants funding to hire 20 attorneys to deal with landowners whose property will be needed to make way for the wall.

It’s also critical to consider why the president wants such a dramatic jump in military spending in the first place. The level and type of military hardware in this budget is generally not geared to battle terrorists. Is a war with China or North Korea envisioned?

With all these domestic programs getting axed, what will happen the next time billions are needed for some new crisis? Cuts to Social Security and Medicare might very well be next. What else would be left to chop?

Oregon’s U.S. Senators —Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden — have condemned Trump’s budgetary priorities. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden needs to show some courage and follow suit, rather than worrying about being the subject of a Trump tweet if he dares question whatever Trump wants.

This misguided budget would hurt countless Americans. Congress must not allow it to become our reality.

— Jesse Burkhardt