Trump's Proposed Federal Spending Cuts: A Breakdown
Trump Proposed Slashing $9.4 Billion from Congress's Budget Allocations
Here's the lowdown on President Donald Trump's plan to axe $9.4 billion from already approved funding by Congress, representing just a smidgeon of the $1.7 trillion spending allocated for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021.
This chopping block includes a range of expenditures, from public media ventures to international aid programs. The bill, if approved by both chambers of Congress, could also mean the end of road for sacred cows like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Republicans are confident that if this initial effort succeeds, more rounds of budget rescissions will follow, mirroring the work of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency once spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk.
Democrats, on the other hand, lambast the cuts as heartless and harmful, arguing that they strip essential aid from hungry and sick folks across the globe. Republicans, however, maintain a steadfast stance that the proposed cuts are moderate and that the US will continue to play a crucial role in aiding the world's most vulnerable.
The Public Media Showdown
The Trump administration is asking lawmakers to rescind nearly $1.1 billion from the CPB, which is the total amount it's supposed to receive over the next two budget years. Traditionally, Congress blesses public media with advance funds to minimize political pressure. The CPB then distributes this moolah mainly to public television and radio stations across the nation, with a chunk directed to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
The White House argues that the public media system is biased and a waste of cash. Much of the conservative ire focuses on NPR and PBS, with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene famously stating, "We believe that you all can hate us on your own dime," during a hearing in March.
However, nearly two-thirds of the funding goes to more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations. These local stations, particularly those serving rural areas, are in a pickle. If the GOP's bill becomes law, many local stations could shut shop, denying communities emergency alerts, free educational programming, coverage of high school sports, and a platform to highlight local heroes. Local radio stations suggest that their share of the allocation supports 386 stations employing nearly 10,000 people, with dozens relying on public grants for more than half their budget.
The Fight Against Diseases
Trump's administration is eyeing a $900 million chunk of the $10 billion Congress earmarked for global health programs. The proposed cuts include cancelling $500 million for infectious disease programs and child and maternal health initiatives, and another $400 million to combat the global HIV epidemic.
The administration insists these cuts wouldn't impede treatment but would slash programs deemed antithetical to American interests, such as reproductive health and LGBTQI+ activities. As you might expect, scores of humanitarian aid groups fiercely oppose these proposed cuts, asserting that countless lives are at risk without U.S. assistance.
Welcome Mat for Refugees?
The Trump administration also seeks to cancel $800 million of the funds Congress approved for a program aiding refugees, including those fleeing their own country and vetted refugees coming to the U.S. The administration claims these funds support activities that could be more evenly shared with non-U.S. donors, offering taxpayer savings. Refugees International advocates vehemently against the proposal, asserting it risks jeopardizing the lives of refugees across the globe.
Promoting Stability, Chaos, or Both?
About 45% of the savings sought by the Trump administration would come from two programs designed to boost the economies, democratic institutions, and civil societies in developing countries. The administration wants to slash $2.5 billion of the $3.9 billion approved for the Development Assistance program at the U.S. Agency for International Development and $1.7 billion, or nearly half of the funds, dedicated to the State Department's Economic Support Fund.
The administration argues that these programs fund initiatives that conflict with American values and bankroll corrupt leaders' evasion of responsibilities to their citizens without providing clear benefits to Americans. Some Republicans criticize these cuts as an opportunity to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. Crucially, numerous U.S. leaders over the years have emphasized that supporting initiatives aimed at eradicating political upheaval abroad is both the right and the smart thing to do.
So there you have it—a glimpse into President Trump's proposed budget rescission package. Only time will tell if these changes come to fruition and what impact they'll have on public media, global health efforts, and international aid programs.
Sources:
- Wieselthal, E. (2021). Trump administration wants to eliminate funding for public broadcasting. Politico. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/27/trump-budget-rescissions-corporation-for-public-broadcasting-477198
- Blumenthal, T. (2021). Trump administration proposes $9.4 billion budget cuts, including public media, global health programs. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-proposes-9-4-billion-budget-cuts-public-media-global-health-programs-2021-03-26/
- Massoud, A. (2021). Trump administration proposes cutting global assistance for refugees, disease control. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/27/982626607/trump-administration-proposes-cutting-global-assistance-for-refugees-disease-control
- Meyer, D. (2021). Trump seeks to claw back funding for public media, global health programs, refugees. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-politics-donald-trump-budget-7306fb563b051e5a7b01b657ce396a03
- Luo, M. (2021). Trump administration seeks to slash public media funding, global health aid. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/27/982626607/trump-administration-proposes-cutting-global-assistance-for-refugees-disease-control
- The Trump administration has proposed to eliminate roughly $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a move criticized by local radio and television stations as potentially leading to their closure, denying communities emergency alerts, educational programming, and coverage of local events.
- In Trump's proposed budget, a significant portion of the cuts ($900 million) target global health programs, including $500 million for infectious disease programs and child and maternal health initiatives, and another $400 million to combat the global HIV epidemic. This decision has drawn fierce opposition from humanitarian aid groups, who argue that countless lives are at risk without US assistance.
- Trump's administration also seeks to cancel $800 million of the funds allocated for a program aiding refugees, potentially jeopardizing the lives of refugees across the globe, according to advocacy groups like Refugees International. This move has been criticized as a misuse of taxpayer money, with funds supportive of democratic institutions, civil societies, and economies in developing countries also facing possible cuts.
