Deficit-swelling Trump White House plans to use deficit against Democrats

3/1/19
The self-described “king of debt” is about to get religion. In the next several months, the Trump administration faces several big spending and budget showdowns with Congress. And after mostly brushing off deficit concerns while pushing through a costly tax-cut plan, the White House now plans to reposition itself as an unlikely enforcer of fiscal responsibility led by its new top budget official, a veteran of the conservative group Heritage Action. Saturday marks the beginning of a series of budget challenges for the Trump White House. The next marker comes on March 11, when the White House is scheduled to release the president’s broad budget priorities, which will feature a call for deep spending cuts — and be dead on arrival in the Democratic-led House. Administration officials have been meeting for weeks to devise a strategy to dramatically boost defense spending, fulfilling a promise to Trump’s base, while at the same time placing a strong new rhetorical emphasis on deficit concerns in a bid to undermine Democratic demands for more spending on nondefense programs like foreign aid, education and environmental protection. It’s a long-shot plan certain to face accusations of hypocrisy — especially since it’s coming from Trump, who once boasted, “I’ve made a fortune by using debt.” Privately, many White House officials also dismiss the notion that the federal debt is a major problem.

The president’s critics countered that the Trump administration backed a tax-cut plan that will cost an estimated $2.3 trillion over 10 years and add $1.9 trillion to the debt. And after much consternation, Trump agreed to sign a massive $1.3 trillion spending bill last year — though afterwards, he told aides he’d regretted it apart from the boost it gave to the military. Aides said the Treasury Department will take point on debt limit talks, while the Office of Management and Budget is driving the budget proposal. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said he would like Congress to raise the debt ceiling without any political showdowns or attempts to extract additional policy concessions — a move that could anger some House Republicans. One of the senior administration officials dismissed concerns that the debt limit fight will become a political nightmare, calling the issue, “much sound and fury signifying nothing.” But the debt limit and budget cap negotiations will force the White House to help congressional leadership deliver votes on a key issue, all while keeping the president — the king of debt — on message.

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Rogue Valley said:

Deficit-swelling Trump White House plans to use deficit against Democrats





The White House plan is to slash every program and leave military funding the same. However, the military budget would actually be increased due to White House plans to raid the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund, which no previous administration has ever before raided, and then add these pilfered funds to the Pentagon base budget.

As always with Republicans, they spend like mad dogs while in office, and then demand drastic spending cuts from succeeding Democrat administrations when they are the minority party. This is also the Trump/GOP recipe.

Related: Overseas Contingency Operations: The Pentagon Slush Fund

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MTAtech said:

Needless to say, this is hypocrisy at its best. What Trump and his cult don't understand or want to understand that even if one cut foreign aid to zero, that only saves $45 billion, mostly from credits to buy American products. Same thing with cutting NPR and Big Bird, there really isn't much savings there. The big ticket items are only in five areas: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Defense and interest on the debt.

Many Trump voters benefit from Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and likely wouldn't want those cut.

The Dems are going to resist any GOP effort to cut social programs, and they'll look like heros to America. Pelosi will skillfully out maneuver Trump once again.

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Fletch said:

Maybe you two should just relax. Dems control the House. All spending bills originate there. The budget should be balanced this year.

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Mycroft said:

It won't be.

1. The Dems will use funding bills as weapons...again.

2. They are too busy campaigning for the 2020 election...on the taxpayer's dime.

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Nickyjo said:

And these distinguish them from republicans how?

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Chomsky said:

This begs the question:

"What happens when a contingency occurs?"

Just sayin' ...

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Mycroft said:

Republicans don't control the House.

Your whataboutism is dismissed.

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Chomsky said:

I'm wondering if Trump was maneuvering to get ahead of the coming debt ceiling battle with Congress. Some hypothesize Pelosi could use the fight starve Trump's fav campaign promises.

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Rogue Valley said:

Trump wants to wrap up US efforts in Syria and Afghanistan not because this would represent sound tactical/strategic thinking, but because Trump is looking at the $ bottom line.

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Nickyjo said:

Sorry you misunderstood. The question was more generic. Politics as usual, practiced by both sides when in similar positions.

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Rogue Valley said:

Deficit-swelling Trump White House plans to use deficit against Democrats





The White House plan is to slash every program and leave military funding the same. However, the military budget would actually be increased due to White House plans to raid the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund, which no previous administration has ever before raided, and then add these pilfered funds to the Pentagon base budget.

As always with Republicans, they spend like mad dogs while in office, and then demand drastic spending cuts from succeeding Democrat administrations when they are the minority party. This is also the Trump/GOP recipe.

Related: Overseas Contingency Operations: The Pentagon Slush Fund

Click to expand...

Fletch said:

And risk defaulting on our debt and harming our credit?

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Rogue Valley said:

Deficit-swelling Trump White House plans to use deficit against Democrats





The White House plan is to slash every program and leave military funding the same. However, the military budget would actually be increased due to White House plans to raid the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund, which no previous administration has ever before raided, and then add these pilfered funds to the Pentagon base budget.

As always with Republicans, they spend like mad dogs while in office, and then demand drastic spending cuts from succeeding Democrat administrations when they are the minority party. This is also the Trump/GOP recipe.

Related: Overseas Contingency Operations: The Pentagon Slush Fund

Click to expand...

noonereal said:

This is brilliant strategy and he will be successful implementing it.

Mark my words, he will successfully make his deficit appear the fault of the Democrats and win votes by so doing.

This is what he is good at, very good at. Mass manipulation.

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MTAtech said:

Needless to say, this is hypocrisy at its best. What Trump and his cult don't understand or want to understand that even if one cut foreign aid to zero, that only saves $45 billion, mostly from credits to buy American products. Same thing with cutting NPR and Big Bird, there really isn't much savings there. The big ticket items are only in five areas: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Defense and interest on the debt.

Many Trump voters benefit from Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and likely wouldn't want those cut.

The Dems are going to resist any GOP effort to cut social programs, and they'll look like heros to America. Pelosi will skillfully out maneuver Trump once again.

Click to expand...

noonereal said:

This is brilliant strategy and he will be successful implementing it.

Mark my words, he will successfully make his deficit appear the fault of the Democrats and win votes by so doing.

This is what he is good at, very good at. Mass manipulation.

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Mycroft said:

I didn't misunderstand. I rejected your whataboutism.

I'm not interested in your "generic" irrelevance. We are talking about the Dems.

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Chomsky said:

Politics, it would seem. But like I stated, it was a pundit's hypothesis (that seemed possible).

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MTAtech said:

Needless to say, this is hypocrisy at its best. What Trump and his cult don't understand or want to understand that even if one cut foreign aid to zero, that only saves $45 billion, mostly from credits to buy American products. Same thing with cutting NPR and Big Bird, there really isn't much savings there. The big ticket items are only in five areas: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Defense and interest on the debt.

Many Trump voters benefit from Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and likely wouldn't want those cut.

The Dems are going to resist any GOP effort to cut social programs, and they'll look like heros to America. Pelosi will skillfully out maneuver Trump once again.

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MTAtech said:

Yeah, it worked so well during the shutdown.

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Taxman said:

I don't know about you but i paid into SSI for 50 years so there had best be some money in the trust fund. This means SSI does not cost the government anything.

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