WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — White House officials said the $4.1 trillion budget proposal, titled "A New Foundation for American Greatness," would eliminate the budget deficit with $3.6 trillion in cuts to spending over a period of 10 years.
CRITICISM MIXED WITH MILD PRAISE
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Republicans in Congress would likely oppose Trump’s budget over its proposed spending cuts.
"No wonder that [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell did not embrace the budget. In fact, he distanced himself from it. I think most Republicans will do that too," Schumer said.
In a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday, McConnel said certain proposals in the budget were encouraging, but added that the priorities set out in the draft would serve only as "guideposts" for the Senate Budget Committee when it drafts its own spending plan.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the budget proposal short-sighted and cruel.
"President Trump’s budget is a stark showcase of the President’s broken promises to America’s hard-working families," Pelosi said. "It’s a short-sighted and cruel budget that perfectly reflects what Republicans in Congress have been trying to inflict on America for years."
Even Republicans suggested that the proposed budget was unlikely to gain much traction in Congress.
Senator John Cornyn noted that Congress routinely drafts its own budget proposals and views any draft put forth by a sitting president as simply an expression of priorities.
"Almost every budget I know of is basically dead on arrival, including President [Barack] Obama’s," Cornyn told reporters.
Senator Richard Shelby echoed the same sentiment, but called Trump’s plan a great start.
The Trump administration did, however, receive praise from House Speaker Paul Ryan, who said the proposed budget would be more balanced than those put forth by Obama.
"We can finally turn the page on the Obama era of bloated budgets that never balance," Ryan said. "Trump has proven his commitment to fiscal responsibility with a budget that will grow the economy.
FOREIGN AID
Among the countries that would see a massive reduction in assistance is Ukraine, with the budget calling for a reduction of aid from $667 million in 2016 to $203 million.
But the State Department budget request includes $3.1 billion for Israel, the same amount allocated under the 2016 budget, according to a letter from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson accompanying the request.
"The budget will bolster key US allies to defend our shared interests, including requesting robust support for Israel at $3.1 billion," Tillerson's letter stated.
"We do change a couple of the foreign military programs from direct grants to loans," White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told reporters.
Senator Ben Cardin criticized the proposed reductions to the State Department, saying the draft signals the retreat of the United States from global affairs.
"If a budget is a reflection of values, then what the Trump administration values is an American retreat from the world that will make the United States less safe and secure," Cardin said.
Tillerson noted that the activities and programs in the proposed budget will support the United States’ effort to combat terrorism, illegal migration and trafficking.
"This budget will also support our efforts to combat corruption and address threats to good governance, which helps level the playing field for American workers and businesses," he added.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin emphasized that the proposed budget would preserve sufficient funding for the US capacity to impose sanctions.
The United States will continue to provide funding for relief and assistance, but international organizations should be held accountable for the money they spend, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in a statement on Tuesday.
She added that the United States will continue to assert its leadership and influence through foreign aid but the 2018 budget demonstrates that US resources are "not unlimited".
DEFENSE SPENDING
The budget calls for a 10 percent increase in military spending, allocating $603 billion to the Department of Defense.
Senator John McCain said the proposed defense budget increases were insufficient.
"President Trump’s $603 billion defense budget request is inadequate to the challenges we face, illegal under current law, and part of an overall budget proposal that is dead on arrival in Congress," McCain said.
Under the proposed budget, the US Army requested more than $23 million for the operation of its classified counterintelligence and human intelligence automated reporting and collection system that houses investigative reports, sources and interrogation operations.
The Army has also requested $91 million for modifications to the Stinger shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapon.
In addition, the Army has requested $4 million to improve the military deception tactics and techniques (MILDEC) it uses to mask troop movements.
