On Thursday morning, the Trump administration released its budget — a blueprint, the title says, to “Make America Great Again.”
The budget will be dissected thoroughly by the end of the week, with liberals already fretting about proposed cuts to environmental programs and the arts just hours after its release. The Washington Post declared early Thursday morning that “the shock waves of this blueprint will be felt far beyond the walls of government bureaucracies.”
But what does the president himself want Americans to take from this 62-page blueprint?
On the first page of the document, President Trump pulled out five bullet points, noting that his budget:
- provides for one of the largest increases in defense spending without increasing the debt;
- significantly increases the budget for immigration enforcement at the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security;
- includes additional resources for a wall on the southern border with Mexico, immigration judges, expanded detention capacity, U.S. Attorneys, U.S. Immigration and
- Customs Enforcement, and Border Patrol; increases funding to address violent crime and reduces opioid abuse; and
- puts America first by keeping more of America’s hard-earned tax dollars here at home.
It is notable that each of these bullets highlights spending increases, with the exception of the last point about foreign aid. Trump’s priorities clearly fall under the broad categories of defense, immigration, and crime, with a heavy focus on the first two.
In his message to Congress, Trump explained that he specifically asked OMB Director Mick Mulvaney for a budget “that emphasizes national security and public safety.”
After acknowledging the budget’s $54 billion in reductions to non-Defense programs, Trump wrote, “These cuts are sensible and rational. Every agency and department will be driven to achieve greater efficiency and to eliminate wasteful spending in carrying out their honorable service to the American people.”
“In these dangerous times,” Trump said, “this public safety and national security Budget Blueprint is a message to the world — a message of American strength, security, and resolve.”
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
