Trump plan has TN singing the blues
President’s proposals would be felt by dozens of Tennessee programs Trump’s proposed budget endangers Memphis funding
WASHINGTON – Dozens of programs that provide funding or services in Tennessee are targeted for elimination or drastic cuts under President Donald Trump’s proposed budget.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Delta Regional Authority all would be impacted by Trump’s spending plan, released early Thursday and dubbed “America’s First” budget by the White House.
Other programs that reach into the state yet would get no funding under Trump’s budget include Community Development Block Grants, which provide resources to cities for a variety of activities such as affordable housing and anti-poverty initiatives; the Meals on Wheels food-delivery » President’s budget faces heavy opposition. » Plan would eliminate dozens of programs.
President Donald Trump presented a budget Thursday with sweeping cuts to federal programs and grants benefiting Memphis and Shelby County, including the elimination of the Community Development Block Grants program funding the salaries of 80 city employees.
If Congress approves the budget with the cuts, the city and county would lose their annual Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs), which fund Memphis Housing and Community Development salaries and various economic development, housing and infrastructure projects across the city and county. The city received nearly $6.1 million and the county received $1.1 million in CDBGs in 2016.
program for the elderly; the Minority Business Development Agency, which works to help minority-owned businesses grow and stay competitive; and heating assistance for low-income residents.
“The list of important programs cut or eliminated is huge,” said Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis. “President Trump’s budget will thrust America into social and cultural deterioration, a new Dark Ages.”
Rep. Diane Black, R-Gallatin and chairwoman of the House Budget Committee, suggested the proposal offers a blueprint for being better stewards of taxpayer dollars.
“I’m pleased that the administration is committed to reviewing how our agencies operate to better streamline programs and reduce overlap,” she said.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Maryville and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, noted that while the president can propose a budget, under the Constitution, it’s Congress that passes the spending bills. Alexander said his budget priorities include national laboratories, national parks and the National Institutes of Health – all of which are targeted under Trump’s budget.
Trump is proposing a 12-percent cut to the Interior Department, which oversees the Smokies and other national parks. While his budget would increase funding for park maintenance, it slashes Interior Department construction programs and makes deep cuts to land acquisition and historic preservation programs.
The cuts are “being portrayed as government efficiencies, but anybody who thinks that doesn’t understand how national parks work,” said Don Barger of Knoxville, who is the Southeast regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association.
The National Park Service already has seen a 60 percent drop in its construction budget since 2002, Barger said, while other reductions have led to cuts in staff and programs. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has lost 30 positions over the last few years even as its visitation has increased, he said.
In addition, Trump wants to slash onethird of the funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, which conservation and environmental groups warn would make it impossible to protect parks from air and water pollution.
The cuts would hit especially hard in the Southeast, where many state protections and budgets have already been gutted, and could cause parks to close for part of the year, warned Nat Mund, legislative director of the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Targeted for elimination in Trump’s budget is $45 million in federal funding for the Delta Regional Authority, a federal-state partnership that works to encourage development in parts of Tennessee and seven other states.
“You cannot advocate for infrastructure development and economic security in rural America without also supporting the mechanisms, such as DRA, that make those projects a reality,” said Chris Masingill, the agency’s federal co-chairman.
Under Trump’s budget, the Energy Department’s Office of Science, which oversees the management and operating contract for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, would be cut by about $900 million, or roughly 16 percent.
Asked about the impact on Oak Ridge, spokeswoman Morgan McCorkle said: “It’s very early in the process, and Lab Director Thom Mason has asked staff to stay focused on their work as the budget makes its way through Congress. One of ORNL’s strengths is the breadth of our scientific and technical expertise, which has allowed us to remain competitive amid changing national priorities for many years.”
The Army Corps of Engineers, which operates and maintains several locks and dams in Tennessee, is facing $1 billion in cuts, or 16.3 percent of its budget, under Trump’s spending plan.
“The cuts to the Army Corps are bad, but they are just a small part of the many problems with the Trump budget,” said Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Nashville. “I hope the public will help Congress improve the budget so that it won’t harm America.”
Trump also is proposing to eliminate the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s $3 billion in Community Development Block Grants, which have been a bread-and-butter funding source for local communities for years. More than a dozen cities in Tennessee received grants through the program last year alone.
Knoxville’s Community Development Department runs almost entirely on HUD funding, including block grants. HUD provides money for low-income housing and helps the city deal with slum and blight among a lengthy list of other uses. In 2016-17, HUD programs accounted for more than $2 million in funding for the department, including $1.3 million in block grants.
Memphis receives $6 million in block grant funding each year. Nashville also received $4.5 million through the program last year.
Though Trump is proposing deep cuts in numerous domestic programs, both Corker and Alexander warned that balancing the federal budget will require controlling runaway spending in entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.
“I sincerely appreciate the Trump administration’s effort to cut waste and encourage efficiency, but the fact is that until the president and Congress are willing to address the real drivers of our debt – Medicare and Social Security – we will be complicit in shackling future generations with the financial burden of our own lack of discipline,” Corker said. “That is not a legacy I want to leave.”
Reporters Tyler Whetstone in Knoxville and Ryan Poe in Memphis contributed to this story.