Donald Trump has laid out plans to boost US defence spending by $54bn, besides, he will cut foreign aid. The federal government budget plan will be submitted to Congress this Thursday. The state department, which is related with foreign affairs, will have a budget reduction of about 28%.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in line for cuts to programmes Donald Trump does not agree with, such as renewables and climate change. The EPA could face a 31% budget cut. These measures include initiatives to bring the US into line with its Paris Agreement climate deal obligations.
The increase in defence spending will be possible through deep cuts in other sectors. The BBC reports that the defence department budget will be boosted by 10%. Homeland security will get a 6% budget boost too.
Priorities and additional cuts
There will be changes, the new budget will include a $1.5bn request for pilot schemes to determine the best construction methods and locations for President Trump's promised wall between Mexico and US. The White House wants a 30% reduction from an energy department that promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy. The energy department could face drastic budget cuts for its 17 national laboratories, which conduct research into sectors including nuclear power and also advanced materials for energy generation, storage and use. There will also be a whole cut to funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is the largest source of public broadcasting funding in the United States.
The budget is known as a "skinny budget", it will be limited to the $1tn portion of the $4tn annual federal budget which pays for US agencies and departments. The remainder of President Trump's budget, that includes proposals on taxes, mandatory spending and projections and deficits on the economy, will not come out until May. As we can see, there will be drastic changes that will favour some areas such as the US military spending but not foreign aid.
