President Donald Trump proposed drastic spending cutbacks in science, the environment and international aid in his first budget project that includes funds for the Mexican wall.
The White House published a guide on the project that will be formally presented in congress for reading. The paper clearly outlines Trump’s priorities: the already massive defense budget ($ 574 billion) is increased by 10%, and DHS funds increase by 7%.
However, it cuts the State Department budget and the development aid program by 28%, resources for the Department of Education by 13.5% and Agriculture by 20%.
The project reduces the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency by 31% and eliminates the US contributions to UN programs against climate change.
The government allocates $ 2.6 billion for the “planning, design and construction” of the wall against immigration on the Mexican border.
It also allocates 314 million for the recruitment and training of 500 border agents and 1,000 immigration agents.
Trump proposes a $ 54 billion increase in defense, a sector that already has a budget equivalent to the sum of the seven nations that follow it in armament. It allocates about 65 billion to Overseas Contingency Operations.
The project cuts a huge 28% in State Department resources, particularly in the reserves for international development assistance.
This particular decision should have immediate effects on the contribution, for example, to United Nations agencies, which would have a global impact.
The Environmental Protection Agency will have a cutback of 2.6 billion dollars, equivalent to 31% of its last budget.
The project interrupts the financing of the Clean Energy Plan, international climate change programs, climate change research and cooperation programs, and other related efforts, saving more than $ 100 million of the taxes paid by Americans, notes the document. .
The new budget puts an end to “more than 50 programs” of the Agency.
In education, it eliminates funding for public programs to support after-school activities, but allocates $ 1.4 billion to help families who want to send their children to private schools.
This bill will be sent to Congress, however, it covers only a fraction of the federal budget of approximately $ 3.8 trillion, dominated by health and pension expenses, among others.