Friday, March 17, 2017

New Trump budget slashes funds to EPA, guts State Department, kills Big Bird, but hands buckets of cash to Military Industrial Complex.

Courtesy of WaPo: 

On Thursday, the Trump administration released a preliminary 2018 budget proposal, which details many of the changes the president wants to make to the federal government’s spending. The proposal covers only discretionary, not mandatory, spending.

To pay for an increase in defense spending, a down payment on the border wall and school voucher programs, among other things, funding was cut from the discretionary budgets of other executive departments and agencies. The Environmental Protection Agency, the State Department and the Agriculture Department took the hardest hits. The proposal also completely defunded 19 agencies.

As you can see many of the budgets under the knife are for agencies who work to keep us safe, like the EPA, State Department, and DHHS.

But other programs will suffer also.

Courtesy of CBS News:  

Mr. Trump’s budget proposes the elimination of funding for the Community Development Block Grant program, which helps fund Meals on Wheels across the country, through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The budget says that it would save $3 billion. The White House argues that the program, which has been around since the mid-1970s, “is not well-targeted to the poorest populations and has not demonstrated results.” In addition to providing meals and services to vulnerable communities, the program says it works to ensure affordable housing and to create jobs for people.

Yeah, let's not feed the elderly and housebound.  After all what use are they?

Courtesy of CNN:

If Congress supports Trump's proposal, it would cause "the collapse of the public media system itself and the end of this essential national service," Corporation for Public Broadcasting CEO Patricia Harrison said in a statement Thursday morning. 

She emphasized that noncommercial stations offer educational shows for kids, historical documentaries, newscasts, and emergency alerts.

Well of course, who needs to waste money offering educational programming to children or warning people about emergencies?

Jimmy Kimmel mocked this budget cut on his program last night.

So on what exactly is Trump willing to spend taxpayer money?

Also courtesy of CNN:  

President Donald Trump proposed a $54 billion increase in defense spending Thursday as promised, a plan that the White House says will provide the necessary funding to ramp up the fight against ISIS, improve troop readiness and build new ships and planes.

That's right let's ignore that we just had our entire democracy undermined by cyber attacks, and instead focus on building new ships and planes.

Guess what else he wants to spend your money on.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

One of the central themes of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign was to not only build a border wall, but to make Mexico pay for it. The claim didn’t just become an applause line for Trump on the campaign trail, it was a call-and-response rallying cry. 

But the Trump budget proposals revealed late Wednesday include $4.1 billion for the wall. Reuters reported that Trump was asking for $1.5 billion for the current fiscal year and another $2.6 billion for the 2018 budget year, which begins Oct. 1. 

The money will come from U.S. taxpayers and not Mexico, which has made it clear that it’s not paying for the wall. 

The former president of Mexico was quick to jump on this:
Yeah, you really cannot blame him for that tweet. After all he has been saying that Trump is full of shit even before the election.

Not only does this budget proposal gut programs that help the neediest of Americans, and put the safety of ALL Americans at risk, it also wastes our money on antiquated and unnecessary military equipment, and on a wall that any undocumented immigrant worth their salt could scale in a matter of seconds.

I can only imagine how pleased the Russians must be with his budget.

39 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:35 AM

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/03/17/seth-meyers-destroys-trump-s-meals-on-wheels-cuts-your-heart-is-so-small.html

    Ripped him!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous8:54 AM

    Fuck Donald Trump! Impeach the jerk. He is a horrible embarrassment to America and his butt needs to be shoved out of the White House NOW!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:59 AM

      Feeling Down About Trump? Impeachara May Be Right For You

      http://crooksandliars.com/2017/03/feeling-down-about-trump-impeachara-may-be

      Delete
    2. Anonymous1:17 PM

      Read this and weep!

      http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/americas-system-of-checks-and-balances-has-collapsed-and-cant-be-fixed-heres-who-to-blame/

      Delete
  3. Anonymous9:40 AM

    This black-hearted toddler/man is really just like a conspiracy believing, Ayn Rand adoring, extreme RW troll who believes the crap coming out of Alex Jones, Breitbart, and Fox. He really is an impulsive ignoramus.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:02 PM

      Real:
      https://thinkprogress.org/california-lawmakers-fighting-juvenile-fees-c186617381af#.9o15zh5zv

      Delete
  4. Anonymous9:46 AM

    The Age Tax Is Trumpcare’s Dirty Little Secret That Republicans Don’t Want You To Know

    There is a secret tax in the Republican health care bill that GOP supporters are trying to keep hidden. Older Americans are going to pay an increasing in premiums that amounts to a 20%-25% tax on their health insurance.…

    Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) released a 50 state report detailing the impact of Trumpcare on older Americans.

    According to Sen. Casey, “Under the Republican plan, by 2026, the average premium in the nongroup or individual market for someone age 64 will be 20 to 25 percent higher than it would be under current law. In Pennsylvania, the “age tax” will raise premiums for a 60 year old earning $40,000 by $2,300 annually. And, that same 60 year old will lose out on $4,000 in tax credits.”

    The Republican health care bill assumes that older Americans will do one of two things. They will either buy a more expensive insurance policy that offers less coverage, or they will not have health insurance.

    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/03/17/age-tax-trumpcares-dirty-secret-republicans.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:12 AM

      And then they'll die much sooner. These are GOP death panels - tax cuts for the wealthiest and huge cost burdens on everyone else.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:59 AM

      Fuck Republicans! They are an evil breed of humans that don't relate to the rest of us and don't mirror the majority of Americans throughout our nation.

      I think many of them will meet the devil upon their demise - as is their Christian belief!

      Delete
  5. Anonymous9:49 AM

    ‘You’re Fired’: Trump Axes Big Bird in Kimmel Segment Mocking PBS Cuts

    http://www.mediaite.com/uncategorized/youre-fired-trump-axes-big-bird-in-kimmel-segment-mocking-pbs-cuts/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous10:03 AM

    DeVos Moves To Give Control Of Education To Koch Brothers And Heritage Foundation

    http://crooksandliars.com/2017/03/devos-moves-give-control-education-koch

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Funneling your tax payer dollars into private hands.

      Social Security is next. They won't waste any time privatizing that.

      Then wall street will finally have succeeding in getting their hands on EVERY pot of taxpayer money. Only took them 25 years.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous10:06 AM

    Hillary Clinton took to Twitter and cut the failing Trump presidency down to size with a single tweet.

    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/03/17/hillary-clinton-sweet-revenge-slices-trump-bits-single-tweet.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:34 PM

      Laptop still missing from HRC detail>
      http://abc7ny.com/news/laptop-stolen-from-secret-service-agents-car-in-brooklyn/1805771/

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:38 AM

      It's so great that she's tweeting.
      Donnie tweets. So useful.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous10:10 AM

    And they're saber rattling with North Korea. I pity the people of South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and just about everywhere in the Pacific. We have loonies in charge and North Korea has had loonies in charge for quite a while.
    Beaglemom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:23 PM

      Beaglemom: include in your list the West Coast, too! There are people who believe, the North Koreans can reach the West Coast already. And if this orange a$$hole keeps on saber rattling like he did this week, that Kim Sung Un or whatever his name is, WILL let one of his missiles fly towards US! Basically, Tillerson told Asia, that we have tried for the last ten years to reign in NK, but it did no good. So, now, all means are on the table - INCLUDING nuking that country!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2:29 PM

      Alaska First!
      https://malialitman.com/2017/03/17/sarah-palin-is-all-in-promoting-war-with-north-korea/

      Delete
    3. Anonymous2:47 PM

      @2:29
      https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2017/03/12/could-north-korea-actually-land-a-missile-in-alaska/

      Delete
  9. Anonymous10:14 AM

    Twitter Brings You 24 Hours of Foreign Relations in the Trump Era

    http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/03/twitter-brings-you-24-hours-foreign-relations-trump-era

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:17 AM


    Defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting won’t kill PBS. It will hurt Trump voters.

    Most of the organization’s money goes toward keeping rural PBS and NPR stations alive.

    http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/17/14951868/trump-defund-pbs-npr

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous11:12 AM

    --These two do not like each. POTUS bothered that Merkle briefly spoke a German during Spray. Thought she was hiding an insult.

    --POTUS licking his wounds as it sinks in his wiretap claim went too far. Trying to hide it but he's moping, embarrassed.

    https://twitter.com/RoguePOTUSStaff

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:04 PM

      Trump was an ass to Merkle (although I think she handled him w/ease and patience). Plus, he continued to 'lie' which is his daily mode of operation!

      Plus, she tried to teach him a few things but I doubt he got them or understood her!

      Trump will have us in a nuclear war! I fear for our country as well as others.

      I detest Donald Trump and want him impeached asap. He does not represent me or the majority in America!

      Delete
  12. Anonymous11:21 AM

    OT?' by giving the states more control and "capping" the program's rate of growth. "We've been dreaming of this since I've been around—since you and I were drinking at a keg," he told Lowry." 1997

    http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/03/paul-ryan-says-hes-been-dreaming-medicaid-cuts-ever-his-keg-party-days

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous11:39 AM

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/the-ides-of-trump-postcard-campaign-a-day-after-and-hes-still-here-172704456.html

    "pink-slip the president"

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous11:54 AM

    Freedom Caucus aligns with Bannon in risky Obamacare gambit

    The Republican hard-liners are going around House Speaker Paul Ryan and finding a sympathetic ear in Trump's right-hand man.

    http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/obamacare-freedom-caucus-steve-bannon-trump-ryan-236149

    ReplyDelete
  15. That is one high priced escort.

    http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/feb/08/social-media/does-melania-trumps-security-detail-cost-more-fede/

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous1:16 PM

    Well, he wants to give the military $54 Billion extra. But, again, he does not see the bigger picture:

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/missing-from-trumps-grand-navy-plan-skilled-workers-to-build-the-fleet/

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous1:27 PM

    MUST WATCH>White Privilege for DUMMIES

    https://www.facebook.com/archdukedostuff/?fref=nf

    BLM!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Trump is even worse than I feared. Clearly he's not equipped for the job of POTUS in any way.

    The pressure will continue to mount with each embarrassing failure. Almost every day brings disclosures of more disasters. Today HP reported on the likelihood that fired US Attorney Preet Bharara was investigating Trump's HHS Secretary Tom Price for violation of the STOCK Act, which was passed in 2012. Virtually every member of Trump's administration is corrupt. Trump's slightly-revamped Muslim ban is failing again. The Obama wire-tapping accusation has blown up in his face.

    Maybe he wants to be removed from office. He's being exposed for an ignorant jackass and there's nothing he can do about it. He could play the victim (like you know who) and might see that as a more acceptable way to get out of the job than resigning. He wanted the power of the office, but like health care, he had no idea how complicated it was.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:03 PM

      Agreed. Far worse.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous3:01 PM

    “brainwashing”

    https://thinkprogress.org/republican-senator-thinks-epa-cuts-will-keep-the-agency-from-brainwashing-our-kids-7da3183e267d#.fbhr2h9kb

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous3:06 PM

    http://www.salon.com/2017/03/17/decoding-steve-bannon-is-his-hateful-ideology-rooted-in-family-trauma-or-is-he-just-a-creep/

    ReplyDelete
  21. Seth Meyers did a big bit on how Trump is going to starve Meals on Wheels because the adminstration says "it's not working."

    I'd like to know what the administration defines as working. I'm going to assume they equate it to profitable.

    So many of the programs being cut aren't "profitable". They feed children (who neither work for an income nor vote.) This program feeds the elderly, many of whom voted for Trump. He's taking away their food and medical care, thus speeding them up to the grave. Because they're losers who don't work. And if you have to depend on Meals on Wheels or Medicare, you obviously aren't wealthy enough to donate thousands to him or the GOP.

    This is their way of thinning the herd, reducing the population to only those that can support themselves without government help.

    Of course, this is another penny wise pound foolish move on this administration. The program is working and there is plenty of proof. Meals on Wheels allows the elderly to remain independent in their own homes rather than go to a nursing home. Medicare would pay for those nursing homes. But maybe, this is actually a shrewd decision on his part. Because those nursing homes are probably privately owned and for profit. So by driving more into those nursing homes, the owners would be sucking up even more tax payers dollars.

    I'll be in those Medicare cuts, the payments to nursing homes isn't touched.

    Maybe someone should study the budget and look for the results of those cuts. Will the result be more tax dollars funneled to for profit private corporations? You betcha. They beta tested with NCLB and the results were so encouraging I'm sure they were just waiting for their chance to institute the program widely. Now they have a Congressional majority in both houses and a puppet in the White House that will sign anything put in front of him.

    No way they'll do anything to rock that boat.

    They'll tighten up their election strategies too, so that even the few that get by their gerrymandering and suppression still won't make much difference. They'll turn this into a one party state and the U.S. will go from a flawed Democracy to a failed one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:29 PM

      Medicare pays only for hospice care in nursing homes (life expectancy of 6 months or less). For long-term custodial care, Medicaid is used, unless the person has long-term care insurance, which most people don't. The patient has to liquidate their assets and "spend down" those assets by privately paying for a nursing home bed until the money is essentially gone. Spouses are allowed to keep a portion of retirement income, SS, etc., to live on. This percentage varies from state to state.

      Heaven knows what Trump and his billionaires club will do for the sick and elderly, who may need custodial care in a skilled nursing facility for years, at an average cost of $7,000-$8,000 per month.

      Delete
    2. 9:29

      This is part of their penny wise pound foolish agenda. They simply haven't thought that far ahead.

      What they'll do is bankrupt the old and sick, then cut off their Medicaid so they can't stay in those long term facilities because they have no money left and couldn't afford the insurance that would have paid for it. I'm sure that insurance would not only have high deductibles and high premiums but also a low cut-off point.

      So basically it will be on family to take in the homeless sick old people. You know, like we used to centuries ago. The burden back on the family. Mom can quit her job and the family can try to live on one income *if* there is a Dad and *if* he's working. Eventually the burden will fall to the grandkids who will quit school early to get a job to help out the family.

      The Republicans love those good old days where the rich were filthy rich, powerful and ran everything and the poor were dirt poor, uneducated and powerful.

      Not sure if they've thought it through, though. All those second amendment equalizers out there. As income equality grows people are not going to just sit down, shut up and take it. There are enough Deplorables that will eventually understand what their Republican Overlords are doing to them that they will see the light and join the Resistance. At some point the Resistance will go beyond marches, demonstrations, post cards and political cartoons.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous4:20 PM

    Little donnie can cut all he wants, he doesn't write the budget, Congress does.

    The republicans going to have a fun time explaining $40 billion for a fence in 2018.

    They thought town halls were angry mobs before, we are going to come after them with pitch forks !!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The House writes the budget. With Paul Ryan at the helm and a Republican majority, do you really think they'll have that many problems with this budget? I bet they'll pass it.

      Then it goes to the Republican controlled Senate. Ditto.

      Then the two sides go through reconciliation.

      I'm betting the result will be worse than Trump's budget, not better.

      Delete
  23. https://www.yahoo.com/news/white-house-finds-someone-who-doesnt-think-its-budget-is-a-joke-oh-wait-actually-173425402.html

    "Beset on all sides by criticism of its budget proposal, the White House reached out for support Friday from an unlikely source, an opinion piece in the Washington Post.

    The administration itself couldn’t have written a more glowing endorsement than the Thursday column by Alexandra Petri, entitled “Trump’s budget makes perfect sense and will fix America, and I will tell you why,” which begins by denouncing critics of the budget priorities as “wimps” and proceeds to the suggestion that teachers be replaced by F-35s wearing “Make America Great Again” hats.

    Hence the link in the White House’s “1600 Daily” newsletter, which gives the administration’s take on the day’s news and is sent to anyone who signs up on the wh.gov website."

    "Given Trump’s voluble disdain for the “fake news” media, which he claims to ignore, it is not totally surprising that no one in the press office recognized that Petri is a humor columnist."

    I guess they didn't recognize Alexandra Petri's name. They've run into her before and should have known better.

    Here's the entire article:

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2017/03/16/trumps-budget-makes-perfect-sense-and-will-fix-america-and-i-will-tell-you-why/?utm_term=.36e08b557dc7

    ReplyDelete

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