Trump to Ask for Sharp Increases in Military Spending, Officials Say

[TomCADem]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump will instruct federal agencies on Monday to assemble a budget for the coming fiscal year that includes sharp increases in Defense Department spending and drastic enough cuts to domestic agencies that he can keep his promise to leave Social Security and Medicare alone, according to four senior administration officials.

The budget outline will be the first move in a campaign this week to reset the narrative of Mr. Trump’s turmoil-tossed White House.

A day before delivering a high-stakes address on Tuesday to a joint session of Congress, Mr. Trump will demand a budget with tens of billions of dollars in reductions to the Environmental Protection Agency and State Department, according to four senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the plan. Social safety net programs, aside from the big entitlement programs for retirees, would also be hit hard.

* * *
Mr. Trump is in a highly unusual position at a time when most presidents are finding their footing or confronting crisis. Despite his lament that he was handed “a mess” by President Barack Obama, Mr. Trump inherited a low unemployment rate, a lack of international crises requiring immediate attention and majorities in both houses of Congress.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/26/us/politics/trump-budget.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

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Trump is proposing a budget as he girds for war even though we are currently at peace, finance tax cuts to the rich with cuts to benefits to the middle class. Still, some liberals like Ed Schultz will likely support it.

[angstlessk]

1. That would be a bush* redux...tax cut while increasing military/homeland spending

which requires cuts from funding for the poor/middle class

[Rhiannon12866]

8. That was my first thought, too...

[DallasNE]

2. So How Will Trump Get Around The Caps

Set by the sequestration legislation? Won't that take 60 votes.

[jmowreader]

3. He'll just write an executive order, like everything else he's done

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. Pres. Bannon knows that increase means likely arms race means more chance of war

... means more chance of Armageddon.

[groundloop]

12. And of course more profits for the military industrial complex

That's all the repukes care about, profit. To hell with the soldiers and their families, to hell with civilians caught up in their wars, to hell with the effects on our economy, to hell with the lower and middle class, if it means more profit then it's good.

[pnwmom]

5. No liberal would support this war build-up and domestic cutbacks in peacetime.nt

[raccoon]

6. Jesus, are we going to allocate 100% of the US budget for the military?

The US is already spending way more on the military than any other country.

[Ilsa]

7. Ed Schultz is not a Liberal. nt

[AllaN01Bear]

9. more intrested in hi tec bangbangs and his campaign donating butt buddies than the people .

[no_hypocrisy]

10. Tax the billionaires if the money is needed that much.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Why? Russia is our friend, remember?

Deficit spending in a full employment, just-in-time economy is going
to create massive inflation. There is no slack to justify economic stimulus.

[BeyondGeography]

13. It adds up to a one-way ticket to Palookaville for the Trumpkins

That trillion-dollar infrastructure plan? It all goes to military hardware which does fuck all for the economy. Too bad the majority of the people who voted for someone else are also paying the price. If this doesn't sink the Republicans next year nothing will.

[humbled_opinion]

14. Hell NO

For ever dollar increase for military, 2 dollars must be increased for SS, SDI, Medicare and Welfare, that should be the Democratic position, period.

[UCmeNdc]

15. When the GOP is in charge deficits all in a sudden do not matter.

The GOP are the real spend spend spend party.

[Bengus81]

16. And he claims the deficit and the ND will still go downward. Yeah sure Cheeto...

Just like it did when Reagan blew cash on military spending like no other.

[elmac]

17. So the poor and elderly

will become cannon fodder under tRumps budget