President Trump’s newly-released “America First Budget” has been met with the expected gnashing of teeth from the left and a barrage of criticism from the entrenched establishment in Washington who fear any change to the status quo.
The budget, however, delivers on the promises Trump rallied the American people around in his successful bid for the White House. The proposed budget begins the crucial process of ending decades of wasteful spending in Washington by reducing our bloated federal government and redirecting the nation toward a sustainable fiscal path, all while rebuilding our armed forces and national security infrastructure.
{mosads}The president’s budget takes aim at dozens of “sacred-cow” programs in Washington, programs many members of Congress — on both sides of the aisle — have been afraid to touch. The budget pares back or eliminates many programs with dismal effectiveness and questionable justification that have continued to get millions — or even billions — of dollars in funding.
In an era of expanding video programming and burgeoning philanthropy, do American taxpayers need to support public television anymore, or the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)? The NEA consistently uses tax dollars to fund projects that insult Americans with traditional values. President Trump is correct in offering a budget that ends taxpayer funding of ideologically-driven programs.
The president’s plan also plays a critical role in the push to unleash the forces of economic growth, especially in domestic energy. Despite the predictable howls of protest, this budget is exactly the kind of spending package the president said he would deliver to Congress.
Candidate Trump told the American people he would cut wasteful spending. Now, President Trump is shaking up Washington by making good on the promises that won him office.
Domestic energy, which has been a key driver of our economy, will be a major beneficiary of this budget. The budget pares back agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has pursued an overzealous and harmful regulatory regime and handed out grants to entities dedicated to undermining American energy production.
It stops wasteful spending on an unsubstantial climate agenda. The proposals also ensure that agencies like the Interior Department streamline the permitting process to allow greater access to domestic resources. The president also wants to spend budget resources on improvements to our nation’s infrastructure, including pipelines, powerlines and other improvements to our nation’s energy grid.
For far too long, Washington politicians have taken the view that simply because a government program, department or agency has existed for years, we need to keep spending tax dollars to support it. That way of thinking has ended with this president, who is now taking a scalpel — or, if needed, an ax — to many needless or repetitive government spending programs.
America’s debt crisis is mounting, our trade deficits with dozens of nations are increasing. The country’s ability to revive its energy production and manufacturing sectors has been slowed to a crawl due, in large part, to the duplicative, inefficient programs and agencies in Washington.
President Trump is a smart businessman who has built a team of advisors and agency heads who understand successful business practices, national and international economics and the impact of government policies on a free market. Trump and his team understand how we need to review our national budget and make tough decisions regarding the use of the hard-earned resources of American taxpayers.
Investment capital always follows the path of least resistance and greatest opportunity. After decades of ballooning deficits and unnecessary spending, America can set itself on a corrective course for responsible governance. Risk-averse entrepreneurs can once again use their talents to invest in American business and create jobs and prosperity.
A growing economy with fewer regulatory impediments will kickstart our economy and lead American people to good-paying jobs.
It’s also important to note that, against the backdrop of a leaner, more-efficient budget, the president is fully committed to bolstering national security and taking care of our veterans. In an era of great instability and outright hostility toward America in many parts of the world, the growing threat from ISIS and other evil forces is very real.
President Trump will not shortchange our military like the Obama administration did over the past eight years. The president’s budget will modernize our armed forces and provide the resources to allow our men and women to respond to global “hot spots” when needed.
The treatment of our ageing and disabled veterans, those who’ve sacrificed so much for our freedoms, is simply shameful. Recent reports of neglect and abuse at Veteran Affairs hospitals around the country only document the latest examples of the consistent mistreatment of our veterans.
The president’s budget will help ensure those who defended our flag and protected our freedom will get the resources and care they deserve. President Trump’s budget not only delivers on the promises he made during his campaign, but it also represents a crucial refocusing of America’s priorities as part of a plan for greater prosperity.
Congress should embrace this budget with an open mind and work with the President to restore responsible spending of taxpayer dollars and limited government.
Ken Blackwell served as a domestic policy advisor to the Trump Presidential Transition Team. Blackwell is the former treasurer of Ohio, the former secretary of state for Ohio and the former mayor of Cincinnati. He currently serves on the board of the National Taxpayers Association and the Club for Growth.
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