Governments budgets don’t budge on real priorities

Bill Knight column for 2-27, 28 or 29, 2020 

Since budgets are plans, not commitments, they’ve always seemed like BS.

However, as shown by the federal budget proposed by President Trump and Illinois’ budget presented by Gov. Pritzker, they can reveal priorities even when implementation is in question.

Pritzker’s $42 billion proposal connects state education funding to the Fair Tax question on November’s ballot, creating uncertainty for schools. If the progressive-taxation measure passes, Illinois will meet its evidence-based funding of $350 million to school districts; if it fails, the state will apparently renege and spend $200 million.

That shows the Fair Tax is Pritzker’s main concern. But such sleight-of-hand (or, arguably, hostage-taking) is compassionate and sensible compared to the White House’s sinister budget.

Trump’s $4.8 trillion plan is an all-time high but still cuts $2 trillion, mostly in safety-net programs, and would add $3.4 trillion to the national debt in four years. It cuts social aid but boosts Pentagon spending, including a buildup of the nuclear arsenal, with the military up some 8%, about $780 billion more.

“Trump’s budget proposal is unforgivable,” said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat. “Instead of helping working-class Americans and people with pre-existing conditions, he’s demanding billions for his border wall and slashing critical programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.”

On Feb. 10, Trump said he’s “not touching Social Security,” but days later Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin admitted “it’s a reduction in the rate of increase,” which caused Alex Lawson of the Social Security Works advocacy group to comment, “Only a true creature of Wall Street could try telling people that even though they are getting less money it isn’t ‘really’ a cut.”

It also slashes food stamps and health care for the disabled and poor (Medicaid, set for a $700 billion cut over 10 years).

Of course, the budget starts the appropriations process, but it’s a document not voted on by Congress, which will debate and create their own budget.

“Congress doesn’t pay attention to the President’s budget exercise,” Wyoming Republican Sen. Mike Enzi told Politico. “Presidents’ budgets are a reflection of administration priorities. They are just a list of suggestions.”

Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Richard Neal said, “There is absolutely no chance of his ruthless cuts to critical programs ever becoming law.”

So: It won’t pass as-is. However, Americans should be alarmed anyway because it indicates future targets of executive orders, federal agency action or court rulings.

Hints of Trump’s bull’s-eyes are in cuts to federal funds for states’ disadvantaged K-12 students; to Education Department staff and spending (7.8%); student loan assistance; plus ending the public-service loan program that forgives federal student loans for police, teachers, government employees and others after 10 years of public service.

Also, it extends for a decade the expiring 2017 tax cuts that mostly benefited corporations and the rich, costing the country $1.4 trillion in future revenue.

“There always seems to be plenty of money for millionaires and big corporations but never enough money to do anything for working people,” said AFL-CIO deputy policy director Kelly Ross.

The budget cuts $8.6 billion from Housing and Urban Development, including affordable housing initiatives and, separately, gutting Agriculture’s rural housing programs; cuts 26.5% of the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget and ends about 50 EPA programs; and reduces the Energy department 8.1%.

For workers, it trims federal employees’ scheduled raise from 2.5% to 1% while forcing them to pay 1% more to their pensions,; cuts the Labor department 10.7% and its National Labor Relations Board 10%; and further jeopardizes the U.S. Postal Service, causing American Postal Workers Union president Mark Dimondstein to say, “It doubles down on the [White House] Task Force proposals which would deteriorate the mail, lead to the loss of thousands of jobs, and set the Post Office up to be sold to the highest bidder.”

Writing for the Center for Rural Strategies, journalist Joe Belden said, “The bottom line? Another draconian proposal, the third in a row from the Trump budget writers, would decimate many rural and other domestic programs,” said Joe Belden, “Fortunately, Congress has the last word, and in the past, both Republican- and Democratic-led Congresses have rejected such cuts.”

People should still worry. Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said Trump’s budget is “a perfect snapshot of this administration’s policies robbing working families to pay off special interests and those at the top.”