Trump budget would hit Texas hard
Source: Houston Chronicle
President Donald Trump's first budget blueprint, released Thursday, would hit Texas' state and local finances hard if enacted as proposed, cutting deeply into housing and environmental programs as well as scientific and medical research that supports the state's health care and energy industries.
The proposal is likely to be changed dramatically by Congress, but it still drew outrage from Democratic leaders, city officials, and community advocates - and muted reactions from Republicans, who are walking a fine line between constituents and the White House.
"It is important to keep in mind that the President's budget proposals are just the beginning of the negotiation process with Congress," said Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican representing a district between Houston and Austin. Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn did not return requests for comment.
Overall, Trump's $1.15 trillion budget strips $54 billion from discretionary programs - excluding entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, which constitute nearly three quarters of federal spending - and adds it to the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.
Read more: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Trump-budget-would-hit-Texas-hard-11008012.php
Ted Cruz usually makes a living of trying to out-crazy everyone so that he is called the extremist. It will be interesting to watch him try to argue that Trump should hammer Texas even harder with budget cuts to programs that Texans rely on.
Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)Cruz is a bought and paid for whore of the Trump admin.
Wounded Bear
(58,440 posts)most blue states have supplementary systems in place that will alleviate some of the pain for a while. The full effect there will take a little longer.
Most of the red states will be screwed starting almost immediately.
Igel
(35,197 posts)Red states are typically poorer. They pay less to the federal government and receive more in services.
When you make budget cuts, you usually wind up reducing expenses on services. It has a greater effect on those who receive more than they pay in. When you make revenue cuts, it has a greater effect on those who receive more than they pay in.
No federal income tax cut by itself is going to help those in the bottom 40-50% of household incomes because, at least in 2015, they paid an average of 3.3% in income taxes. You have to start reducing FICA and Medicare taxes to have any effect just with tax cuts. Meanwhile, the top 20% pay more in income taxes than they "make" as a percentage of all income.
In fact, a number of self-proclaimed progressives have often dreamt of reducing the money that goes to their politically antagonistic red-state foes and keeping the money for themselves, the blue states.
jpak
(41,742 posts)Harder!
Harder!
Perseus
(4,341 posts)The only sad thing is that their voters won't learn, they will blame it on Obama...
nycbos
(6,033 posts)They don't believe in scientific and medical research. They will be happy being it will hurt the "city folk" and their "book learnin"
IronLionZion
(45,259 posts)Javaman
(62,439 posts)raising2moredems
(627 posts)I will grant you that some people who benefit from federal programs never paid taxes. Most people who benefit have, at some point in their lives, paid a) federal taxes, b) social security taxes, c) medicare taxes. Before the lunatics took over the asylum (pukes), one could say his/her wages were lower due to the above plus what employers paid into the unemployment system.
I collected unemployment for 26 weeks when my job ended. Before that time, I had worked 36 years and never collected.
Funny how it was okay for paul ryan's family to collect social security (or for the texasistan gov to have collected a multi-million dollar settlement) but it is not okay for anyone else to collect social security for survivors. Frankly I'm surprised they haven't gone after never-worked at a W-2 job widows collecting half (or all) of their (late) spouses' social security. I guess they too are really deadbeats.
All this entitlement crap started with rayguns lie about the "welfare queen" (google it - she was busted and sent to prison. She collected no where near the five figure number raygun spewed during his campaign). I say quit bitching about those who are legitimately collecting (probably at least 80% and some are military families!). Instead hire full-time government employees to track down and prosecute those who are illegitimately collecting benefits. And news flash - it isn't minorities who collect the majority of benefits.
Scruffy1
(3,239 posts)This is just lazy journalism. Of course when i went to school a journalism degree was considered a joke like oral penmanship.
hack89
(39,171 posts)I think I have the right to SS.
hamsterjill
(15,214 posts)I believe that's on the Republican agenda, and they'll somehow blame Obama. Much of the Trump cuts are merely sending costs back to the states.
I do think that discussion of the need for a state income tax is something that will wake up Republican voters, many of whom moved to Texas because there was no state income tax.
Scruffy1
(3,239 posts)The bottom quintile in Texas pays a higher rate than the top quintile. In wisoconsin, they just double the property tax compared to Minnesota, which is also a regressive tax.
hamsterjill
(15,214 posts)And many at the bottom in Texas still vote for Republicans. It may take a state income tax to get their attention unfortunately.
elmac
(4,642 posts)get the most fed aid. I guess what goes around comes around.
joshdawg
(2,637 posts)Folks here in Texas would still vote for him again and again.
They would vote for a skunk if it was running and had an R next to his name..............oh, wait.
Seasider
(165 posts)They have a huge Hispanic and African-American population as well as other minorities and yet when the election rolls around, the state goes deep red even during years when the Democrats have a popular and likeable candidate. Do these voters just not care enough to show up to the polls or is there just a lot of voter disenfranchisement going on?
Grins
(7,134 posts)Because it is so perfect. And, as the worthless McCaul says, it's "just the beginning".
Bwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!