Faso critical of Trump budget proposal
Highlighting service cuts that would hit his district, U.S. Rep. John Faso says the $4.1 trillion federal budget proposed by President Donald Trump is “very problematic.”
The budget has been received skeptically by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, with Democrats questioning the impact on services and Republicans saying the math of the budget doesn’t make sense.
But Faso, who has been generally supporting of the Trump agenda — including voting for the replacement of Obamacare — focused on the districts impacts of the budget priorities set out by the budget.
Faso, R-Kinderhook, said too much funding would be taken from programs that help low-income people and seniors.
“It is very problematic,” he said. “It tries to achieve too many savings out of the 17 percent, non-discretionary (part of the) budget that has already been significantly reduced over the last number of years.”
Among changes proposed by Trump are a 16.2 percent decrease in health and human services and a 13.2 percent decrease in housing and urban development.
“There are really a host of programs on the domestic side,” Faso said. “Water and sewer grants, Community Development grants ... are the ones that are primarily of concern.”
Faso said he also is concerned about reductions in “some of the programs that we need to protect our embassies abroad, and some of the soft power programs that we use to put a good face forward for America around the world. Some of those things are very important for our own national security.”
Faso said Hudson Valley communities would be particularly hurt by reductions in assistance for water and sewer infrastructure projects and Community
Development programs if the Trump budget proposal is left to stand.
“The Congress ... is going to analyze this, but I think there’ll be some major changes made,” he said.
Faso’s 19th Congressional District includes all of Ulster, Greene and Columbia counties, most of Dutchess County and some or all of seven other counties.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reports that Trump’s proposed cuts over a 10-year period would result in reductions of $610 billion to Medicaid, $250 billion to medical insurance assistance, $193 billion to food and nutrition programs, $143 billion to education, $47 billion toward agriculture, and $30 billion for energy programs.
In the White House budget summary, changes for 2018 include a 20.5 percent reduction in agriculture, 15.8 percent reduction for commerce, a 10.1 percent increase in defense, a 13.5 percent increase in education, a 5.6 percent decrease in energy, 10.9 percent decrease for the Department of the Interior, 3.8 percent decrease for justice, 19.8 percent decrease for labor, 12.7 percent decrease for transportation, and 5.8 percent increase for veterans affairs.