President Trump is reportedly set to put out a budget proposal this week that will have massive implications for the size of the federal government should Congress approve it.
The Washington Post reported:
President Trump’s budget proposal this week would shake the federal government to its core if enacted, culling back numerous programs and expediting a historic contraction of the federal workforce.
Advertisement - story continues below
Stop the censors, sign up to get today's top stories delivered right to your inbox
This would be the first time the government has executed cuts of this magnitude — and all at once — since the drawdown following World War II, economists and budget analysts said.
The spending budget Trump is set to release Thursday will offer the clearest snapshot of his vision for the size and role of government. Aides say that the president sees a new Washington emerging from the budget process, one that prioritizes the military and homeland security while slashing many other areas, including housing, foreign assistance, environmental programs, public broadcasting and research. Simply put, government would be smaller and less involved in regulating life in America, with private companies and states playing a much bigger role.
Advertisement - story continues below
The cuts Trump plans to propose this week are also expected to lead to layoffs among federal workers, changes that would be felt sharply in the Washington area. According to an economic analysis by Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics, the reductions outlined so far by Trump’s advisers would reduce employment in the region by 1.8 percent and personal income by 3.5 percent, and lower home prices by 1.9 percent.
“These are not the kind of cuts that you can accommodate by tightening the belt one notch, by shaving a little bit off of a program, or by downsizing a few staff here or there,” Robert Reischauer, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office, explained. “These are cuts that would require a wholesale triage of a vast array of federal activities.”
It’s about time. While I’m sympathetic to anyone losing their job, the government is long overdue for downsizing.
Advertisement - story continues below
Should the Trump administration roll such a plan out, it would be a major move to drain the swamp. The government wastes inordinate amounts of money, and it is about time that they are forced to do more with less, the same way most Americans have had to — except we still have to pay taxes that are far too high year after year no matter what.
Time for the government to put a sweater on and tighten their belts, don’t you think?
