If President Trump (the first time SLL has used “President Trump”) and team can cut $1 trillion a year, it gives them a lot more room to maneuver in things like infrastructure spending. Leaving that aside, cutting government spending any way possible should be encouraged on general principles. From Tyler Durden at zerohedge.com:
According to a report from The Hill this morning, President-elect Trump’s transition team is already working with career staff at the White House on plans to slash federal spending. The Hill reports that significant cuts are expected to the budgets of the Department of Commerce, Energy, Transportation, Justice and State, among others, and would total $10.5 trillion over 10 years.
The departments of Commerce and Energy would see major reductions in funding, with programs under their jurisdiction either being eliminated or transferred to other agencies. The departments of Transportation, Justice and State would see significant cuts and program eliminations.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be privatized, while the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities would be eliminated entirely.
Overall, the blueprint being used by Trump’s team would reduce federal spending by $10.5 trillion over 10 years.
While details are scarce now, a 200 page “skinny budget” document is expected to be released within the first 45 days of Trump’s administration with a “full budget” to be released toward the end of his first 100 days in office.
Two members of Trump’s transition team are discussing the cuts at the White House budget office: Russ Vought, a former aide to Vice President-elect Mike Pence and the former executive director of the RSC, and John Gray, who previously worked for Pence, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) when Ryan headed the House Budget Committee.
Vought and Gray, who both worked for the Heritage Foundation, are laying the groundwork for the so-called skinny budget — a 175- to 200-page document that will spell out the main priorities of the incoming Trump administration, along with summary tables. That document is expected to come out within 45 days of Trump taking office.
The administration’s full budget, including appropriations language, supplementary materials and long-term analysis, is expected to be released toward the end of Trump’s first 100 days in office, or by mid- to late April.
To continue reading: Trump Team Preparing “Dramatic Cuts To Government Spending”
