Inslee Says Trump Budget “Incredibly Harmful” to State and Local Governments

— from Governor Inslee’s Office —

President Trump today released a federal budget proposal that would make significant cuts in state and local government programs, including education, environmental protection, health care and many other critical services that Washingtonians rely on.

“The budget blueprint issued today by President Trump includes incredibly harmful reductions to education, environmental protection, housing, health care, job training and economic development programs. Deep cuts are also made to research and development – in life sciences, clean energy, and more – that sustain America’s economic leadership in the world,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “This undercuts our ability to keep our people safe and healthy. The president’s proposal trades away the support needed to build a prosperous economy for working families to instead pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.”

The president’s proposal – which contained very few details compared to a traditional White House budget proposal – deeply cuts or eliminates funding for teacher training and after-school programs, nutrition assistance for low-income women and children, essential disaster mitigation grants for state and local governments, advanced manufacturing and infrastructure, programs and policies aimed at reducing carbon pollution, health research, Puget Sound recovery, and more.

Inslee has asked state agencies to review the president’s budget blueprint to better determine impacts to state services and programs, and will engage with members of Congress as it begins to consider next year’s spending bills.

Trump’s budget outline includes:

• Education: The U.S. Department of Education is cut by 14 percent, including a $3.7 billion cut for teacher training, after-school, summer and low-income aid programs.
• Health & Human Services: An 18 percent reduction to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with a $5 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health; eliminates the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Community Services Block Grants; the budget does not mention Medicare, Medicaid, TANF or Head Start.
• USDA: A 21 percent cut to the U.S. Department of Agriculture; with a $200 million cut to the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) nutrition assistance program, and cuts in the Water & Wastewater loan program; and international food aid.
• Commerce: A 16 percent cut to the U.S. Department of Commerce; eliminates the Economic Development Administration, Minority Business Development Agency and Manufacturing Extension Partnership program; cuts $250 million in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grants that support coastal and marine management, research and education.
• DOD: A 9 percent increase by repealing sequestration for Department of Defense.
• Energy: A 5.6 percent cut at the U.S. Department of Energy; includes $6.5 billion for nuclear waste cleanup; eliminates Weatherization and State Energy programs, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), innovative tech and advanced vehicle loan programs; and cuts Office of Science (supporting national labs such as PNNL).
• Homeland Security: A 7 percent increase in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security budget – to build a border wall, for 500 new Border Patrol agents, and 1,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents; cuts $667 million from state and local programs and disaster mitigation grants.
• HUD: The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development is cut by 13 percent; the budget eliminates Community Development Block Grants and the HOME, Choice Neighborhoods and Self-Help Homeownerships Opportunity programs.
• Interior: The U.S. Department of the Interior is cut by 12 percent; eliminates funding for 49 National Historical Sites; decreases land acquisition and Payment-in-lieu-of-Taxes (PILT) funding to local governments; maintains strong wildfire suppression funding.
• DOJ: The U.S. Department of Justice is cut by 3 percent; increased funding for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and to adjudicate immigrant removal; cuts reimbursements to states and local governments for costs of incarcerating illegal immigrants.
• USDOL: The U.S. Department of Labor is cut by 21 percent; expands Re-employment & Eligibility Assessments; eliminates Senior Community Service Employment Program; the budget calls for closing Job Corps centers that “do a poor job education and preparing students for jobs”; eliminates OSHA’s training grants.
• EPA: Environmental Protection Agency is cut by 31 percent; and discontinues the Clean Power Plan, and eliminates more than 50 programs and 3,000 jobs; cuts funding for Superfund cleanup, international climate programs, research; sustains funding for drinking and wastewater infrastructure; eliminates funding for specific regional efforts (Great Lakes, Chesapeake, and Puget Sound).
• State Department: The U.S. Department of State is cut by 29 percent; eliminates climate change prevention programs; reduces funding for United Nations peacekeeping; reduces development funding (World Bank, etc.)
• USDOT: The U.S. Department of Transportation is cut by 13 percent; the budget privatizes air traffic control, and makes major cuts to the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery and support for rural airports.
• Treasury: A 4 percent cut to the U.S. Treasury Department, including a cut to the Internal Revenue Service.
• Vets: A 6 percent increase for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• NASA: A 0.8 percent cut to the National Aeronautics & Space Administration.
• SBA: A 5 percent cut to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
• Other: Additionally, the budget blueprint calls for elimination of these 19 agencies:
• African Development Foundation
• Appalachian Regional Commission
• Chemical Safety Board
• Corporation for National and Community Service
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• Delta Regional Authority
• Denali Commission
• Institute of Museum and Library Services
• Inter-American Foundation
• U.S. Trade and Development Agency
• Legal Services Corporation
• National Endowment for the Arts
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
• Northern Border Regional Commission
• Overseas Private Investment Corporation
• U.S. Institute of Peace
• U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
• Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars