MORNING MESSAGE
"America First" Budget Is Unworthy of Our Nation
This
is a “shock and awe” budget, designed to dazzle and confuse Trump’s political
enemies and the general public. When Republicans on Capitol Hill dial back a few
of its more extreme cuts, as is almost inevitable, the public will be expected
to sigh with relief. That would be a mistake, since the result will almost
certainly remain draconian.
Everybody (But Military Contractors) Hates Trump Budget
Republicans
run from Trump budget. ABC: “Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., an Air Force
veteran and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the dramatic
cuts to the State Department’s budget and foreign aid are ‘untenable.’ … Rep.
Peter King, R-N.Y. … called the blueprint ‘dead on arrival’ given proposed cuts
to homeland security programs … Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., joined with Sen.
Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., to condemn the blueprint’s proposed revival of
the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site …
Rural
America socked in Trump budget. Politico: “The spending blueprint calls for
a deeper cut to the Agriculture Department — 21 percent — than to just about any
other agency. Trump would slash programs that invest in rural infrastructure,
target rural public radio and demolish food-aid programs that farmers rely on to
buy their products … While the budget blueprint doesn’t touch food stamps, the
country’s largest nutrition program, because that falls under mandatory funding,
it would decrease the funding available for other USDA feeding programs.”
And
urban America. NYT: “…Trump would cut the budget of the Department of
Housing and Urban Development by 13 percent and eliminate programs like the
Community Development Block Grant, which cities have used to fund programs like
Meals on Wheels as well as homeless shelters … [It] would eliminate the Commerce
Department’s Minority Business Development Agency, the Education Department’s
21st Century Community Learning Centers, which run before- and after-school
programs, as well as low-income heating assistance … It would cut funding for
rental assistance and job training.”
Even
coal miners hurt. ABC: “One such person who is may be affected is Rigel
Preston, a former coal miner who lives in Paintsville, Kentucky, who benefited
from a job retraining program funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission …
one of 19 independent agencies whose funding would be eliminated … ‘I don’t have
to work in 20-degree weather to earn a decent paycheck anymore. I was a surface
coal miner. I was exposed to the conditions all the time. Now I can make a
comparable wage in a climate-controlled environment, so I’m all for this,’
Preston told ABC News.”
Cutting
Meals on Wheels will backfire. Bloomberg: “The aim is to decrease federal
spending, but cuts to the service could backfire by raising health-care costs …
Most recipients live alone, take more than six medications, and rely on these
meals for at least half the food they consume … frail recipients getting proper
nutrition are less likely to fall, and one day’s hospitalization costs the same
as a year of Meals on Wheels…”
Meals
on Wheels does work. W. Post: “A 2013 review of studies, for instance, found
that home-delivered meal programs for seniors ‘significantly improve diet
quality, increase nutrient intakes, and reduce food insecurity and nutritional
risk among participants. Other beneficial outcomes include increased
socialization opportunities, improvement in dietary adherence, and higher
quality of life.’ Not only that, the programs offer good
bang-for-your-buck…”
Eliminating
funds for public broadcasting hurts rural America, says The Nation’s John
Nichols: “Of the 575 public television and public radio stations across the
United States that receive CPB grants, 248 of them serve rural regions of the
country. For the rural stations, the CPB money is far more vital than for urban
stations because, as the CPB notes, ‘many of these small stations operate in
communities with limited financial resources and high poverty and out migration
rates.'”
Infrastructure
missing from Trump budget. CNN: “President Donald Trump is proposing to cut
or eliminate several key federal infrastructure programs despite repeated vows
to increase spending … Trump’s budget director said the White House will uphold
Trump’s pledge for $1 trillion in new infrastructure spending through an
unspecified ‘infrastructure package’ to be released later … Trump’s budget
outline hits hardest at surface transportation by eliminating a
$500-million-a-year program that was created in the federal stimulus package of
2009 to finance a wide range of projects, from replacing bridges to building
street car lines. The budget also would cut funding for new rail or bus
lines.”
But
“Pentagon Draws Up a Shopping List.” NYT: “To help the Pentagon figure out
how to spend all that money, Mr. Trump announced that he intended to nominate a
Boeing executive, Patrick M. Shanahan, for deputy secretary of defense.”
Both
parties seeks to assign blame for possible shutdown. The Hill: “‘If
Republicans insist on inserting poison pill riders such as defunding Planned
Parenthood, building a border wall, or starting a deportation force, they will
be shutting down the government and delivering a severe blow to our economy,’
[Democrats] wrote [Sen. Mitch McConnell] … ‘I’m amused by the Democrats
apparently warming up to the idea that threatening to shut down the government’s
a good idea. It seems to me everybody’s got kind of memory loss on the other
side,’ McConnell told reporters.”
Bannon Eyes Health Care
Freedom
Caucus, Bannon look to shape health care bill. Politico: “The Freedom Caucus
… has clearly found a sympathetic ear in Trump’s right-hand man Bannon, who
wants conservatives to be included in the legislative process instead of
twisting their arms to vote yes. The fledgling alliance has given the group
newfound hope that they can win the White House over to their side — or, at
least, that Trump won’t blame them if Obamacare repeal implodes.”
Why
is Anthem supporting Trumpcare? NYT’s David Leonhardt: “…Anthem appears to
be providing political cover to the administration at the same time that company
officials are lobbying the administration for a favorable decision on another
matter. It’s pretty brazen…”
Sen.
Joe Manchin urges constituents to rise up against health care bill. Roll
Call: “‘I would bombard the White House,’ the West Virginia Democrat said.
‘I really think that President Trump is the only one that can stop this going on
right now.’ … ‘202-456-1414,’ Manchin told the roughly 200 people packed in the
auditorium of the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center. ‘That’s the White House
switchboard.’”
Public Opposes Deportations
Vast
majority opposes Trump’s immigration crackdown in CNN poll: “…nearly
two-thirds of Americans saying they’d like to see a path to legal status for
undocumented immigrants rather than deportations … six in 10 say they are more
concerned that deportation efforts will be overzealous than they are that
dangerous criminals will be overlooked … Offering citizenship to those
immigrants who are living in the US illegally but hold a job, speak English and
are willing to pay back taxes is immensely popular, with 90% behind such a
plan.”
Rust
Belt mayors like immigrants. Bloomberg: “Immigrants represent rebirth:
They’ve stabilized neighborhoods, cushioned city coffers and, in the process,
supported credit ratings and bond sales.”
Progressive
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