Deep Federal Budget Cuts Coming Soon to a Government Near You

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us capitol2The incoming administration isn’t just planning big changes to the FCC’s structure and responsibilities, but to other parts of the federal government as well. Staffers for the transition team of President-elect Donald Trump have been meeting with career staff at the White House to outline their goals for reducing the federal government size; they seek to reduce its spending by $10.5 trillion over a decade, reports The Hill.

The departments of Commerce and Energy would see major funding cuts, and some programs under their jurisdiction eliminated or transferred to other agencies — similar to what’s been proposed for the FCC. The departments of Transportation, Justice and State would experience significant budget cuts and program eliminations under the plans.

Many of the specific cuts were included in the 2017 budget adopted by the Republican Study Committee, a caucus that represents a majority of House Republicans, according to the account. The preliminary proposals from the White House budget office will be shared with federal departments and agencies soon after Trump takes the oath of office today. Those budget offices will have a chance to comment on the proposals and appeal for revisions before the president’s budget goes to Congress. 

Despite a Republican majority in both houses of Congress, moving through Trump’s budget could be difficult, with moderate Republicans and Democrats likely to push back some of the proposed cuts. A blueprint prepared by the Heritage Foundation last year that is being used by Trump’s team calls for the elimination of the Minority Business Development Agency, the Economic Development Administration, the International Trade Administration and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The total savings from cutting these four programs would amount to nearly $900 million in 2017.  

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be privatized, while the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities would be eliminated under the proposal. Conservatives aligned with fiscal hawks say it’s beyond time to cut the federal deficit. The proposals show the Trump administration is “serious” about reforming the federal budget, Brian Darling, a former aide to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and a former staffer at the Heritage Foundation, tells The Hill.

By Leslie Stimson

January 20, 2017

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