On Thursday, the Trump administration released its 2018 budget proposal, suggesting major cuts to big-name federal agencies. Some of the biggest victims of Trump’s slashing spree include the Environmental Protection Agency (31 percent), the Departments of State (29 percent), Agriculture (21 percent), and Labor (21 percent). In total, 15 agencies would see budget cuts should the president have his way. And they’re the lucky ones.
Trump’s budget also proposes the elimination of dozens of small, largely obscure agencies and programs — most notably, the National Endowment for the Arts. Trump’s budget would put these savings to use with a major military buildup ($54 billion), building the border wall with Mexico ($2.6 billion), and implementing major school choice reforms ($1.4 billion).
One would imagine such a budget would be a Republican’s wet dream. The president’s proposal seems to check all the major points of the GOP’s wish list. Yet, surprisingly, the initial reaction on Capitol Hill has been mixed.
Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., described the budget as a “disaster” and “dead on arrival.” “It’s not going to happen,” Graham flatly declared. He’s probably right. Every congressman has his or her pet project, and it seems unlikely the GOP leadership would be willing to cut so much pork en masse.
But why should that be the case? These are supposedly fiscal conservatives we’re talking about here, with a Republican president in power. Moreover, the federal government’s bottom line won’t actually be any smaller considering the military offset and growth in mandatory spending (i.e. Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare) that Trump has promised not to touch.
So, if GOP leadership cannot follow through with even the smallest cuts with a populist Republican president in power, when will they ever?
Indeed, 2018 should be seen as a litmus test for conservative values. Just because Team Red won the election doesn’t mean that congressional Republicans should have license to be the big government liberals they claim to hate.
Remember, Democrats lost their control of both houses of Congress after failing to follow through with the most basic tenants of their agenda in 2010. Similarly, the American voter will not forget if his or her tax bill continues to rise in the coming years with so-called conservatives in Congress.
Trump’s budget is not perfect. Its massive spending increases for the military and border wall will undoubtedly become boondoggles. Nevertheless, the reaction on the Hill is framing the conversation incorrectly from a conservative perspective.
Instead of asking, “Does Trump’s budget spend too little?” congressional Republicans should be asking themselves, “Does Trump’s budget spend too much?”
Casey Given (@CaseyJGiven) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is the executive director of Young Voices.
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