Last night, for the first time in weeks, many Republicans were able to take a collective deep breath. For once, President Trump sounded presidential. He struck a reasonable, measured tone. He outlined policy proposals that won cheers from Sen. McCain, (rebuilding the military) to Speaker Ryan, (replacing Obamacare) to the Freedom Caucus (building a border wall). And he filled-out the role as commander-in-chief with his moving tribute to the important sacrifice of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens—his widow’s raw, emotional response, stirred tears of gratitude in all who watched.
But the relief that he pulled it off—that he didn’t completely humiliate us just this once—was fleeting. Conservatives awoke this morning with a nagging question in their minds: Just how is Trump planning to pay for all of this?
Many on Capitol Hill have been wondering the same thing for some time now. If you’ve been taking notes, the president has promised (among other things) to build a border wall, institute a massive $1 trillion infrastructure program, replace Obamacare subsidies with a new tax credit, create a new child care subsidy, rebuild the military, and deliver large tax cuts across the board.
That’s a big bill.
The president’s budget outline, promised to Congress on March 16, is supposed to fill in the blanks. Rumor has it that OMB Director and budget hawk Mick Mulvaney has been asking non-defense agencies for 25 to 30 percent cuts in their discretionary budgets to try and make the numbers work (CNN reported the EPA may have a quarter of their budget slashed). Needless to say, cuts this deep will likely be very unpopular with the public, and presumably kryptonite on Capitol Hill.
Republicans’ budget problems did not begin with Trump however; their policy plans have never caught up to their promises on savings, and balance has always depended on some very rosy growth scenarios. To get a budget passed with numbers that Republicans can agree on will be very, very difficult work. Trump’s wish list only exacerbates the problem, even as he further compounds it with his commitment not to touch entitlement programs.
But while Republicans may be able to bury the budget fight below the floorboards for a little while, they won’t be able to ignore it for long.
April Ponnuru (@AprilPonnuru) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a senior adviser at the Conservative Reform Network. Previously she was an adviser to Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign.
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