On March 16, 2017, the Office of Management and Budget released President Trump’s document entitled, “American First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again.” In the chart below, I’ve listed by federal department those programs that this budget has identified for elimination. These eliminations totally $54 billion dollars is intended to offset the $54 billion dollar increase to the Department of Defense.
See if you can identify a program that directly effects you and our community.
| DEPARTMENT | PROGRAMS ELIMINATED | RATIONALE |
| Agriculture | Water & Wastewater loan and grant program, a savings of $498 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | Rural communities can be served by private sector financing or other federal investments such as the EPA’s State Revolving Fund. |
| Agriculture | The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program. | Lacks evidence that it is being effectively implemented to reduce food insecurity. |
| Commerce | The Economic Development Administration, a savings of $221 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | Limited measurable impacts, plus duplicative of Rural Utilities Service of Agriculture & DOT grants to States. |
| Commerce | The Minority Business Development Agency | Duplicative of efforts such as SBA’s district offices and development centers. |
| Commerce | The Manufacturing Extension Partnership that provides consulting services to small and medium size manufacturers, a savings of $124 million. | Eliminating federal funds transitions solely to non-federal sources as originally intended when established. |
| Commerce | Sea Grant & other coastal and marine management, research and education at NOAA, a savings of $250 million. | These programs are a lower priority than core functions such as surveys, charting and fisheries management. |
| Defense | NONE MENTIONED | |
| Education | Supportive Effective Instruction State Grants program, saving $2.4 billion | It is poorly targeted and spread thinly across thousands of districts with scant evidence of impact. |
| Education | 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which supports before and after school programs, as well as summer programs, a savings of $1.2 billion | Lacks strong evidence of meeting its objectives, such as improving student achievement. |
| Education | Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program that delivers need-based grants, a savings of $732 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | Less well targeted than the Pell Grant program and reduces complexity in student aid. |
| Education | Eliminates or reduces over 20 categorical programs including Striving Readers, Teacher Quality Partnership, Impact Aid Support Payments for Federal Property, and International Education Programs. | These programs do not address national needs, duplicate other programs or are more appropriately supported with state, local or private funds. |
| Energy | Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, the Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program and the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program | The private sector is better positioned to finance disruptive energy research and to commercialize innovative technologies. |
| Energy | The Weatherization Assistance Program and the State Energy Program. | These eliminations and focused funding at the Offices of Energy Efficiency, Nuclear Energy, Electricity Delivery & Fossil Energy Research save $2 billion from the 2017 annualized CR level. |
| Health and Human Services | The Fogarty International Center. (One of the 27 component organizations of the National Institute of Health. It is the only arm of NIH whose sole mission is global health. Founded in 1968. wikipedia) | This elimination as well as budget reductions at the National Institutes of Health saves $5.8 billion from 2017 annualized CR level. |
| Health and Human Services | Eliminates $403 million in health professions and nursing training programs. | A lack of evidence of that they significantly improve the Nation’s health workforce |
| Health and Human Services | Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Community Services Block Grant program of the Office of Community Services, saving $4.2 billion from the 2017 annualized CR level. | These two programs are both limited-impact programs. The LIHEA can’t demonstrate strong performance outcomes and CSBG is duplicative of other federal programs. |
| Homeland Security | Eliminates or reduces unauthorized and underperforming programs administered by the TSA, a savings of $80 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | To strengthen screening at airport security checkpoints. |
| Homeland Security | TSA grants to State and local jurisdictions. | Local enforcement patrols should already be a high priority for State and local partners. |
| Housing & Urban Development | Community Development Block Grant program, a savings of $3 billion from the 2017 annualized CR level. | The program is not well targeted to the poorest populations and has not demonstrated results. The Budget devolves these activities to the State and local level. |
| Housing & Urban Development | HOME Investment Partnership Program, Choice Neighbors and Self-help Homeownership Opportunity Program, a savings of $1.1 billion from the 2017 annualized CR level. | State and local governments are better positioned to serve their communities based on local needs and priorities. |
| Housing & Urban Development | Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing, a savings of $35 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | Duplicative of efforts funded by philanthropy and other flexible private sector investments. |
| Interior | Abandoned Mine Land grants, National Heritage Areas and National Wildlife Refuge fund payments. | These three programs overlap with other grants, should be funded locally or are duplicative of other payment programs. |
| Justice | Eliminates approximately $700 million from programs including the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. | These programs are either outmoded, met their goal, or exceeded their usefulness. |
| Labor | Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). With this elimination and other grant reductions, there is a savings of $434 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | Ineffective in meeting its purpose to transition low income seniors into unsubsidized jobs. |
| Labor | Eliminates grant funding of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, saving $60 million from the 2017 annualized CR level | Largely noncompetitive and unproven. |
| Labor | Job Corps Centers for the disadvantage youth. that do a poor job educating and preparing students for jobs | (It does not say all such centers, just those doing a poor job). |
| Labor | Eliminating technical assistance grants from the Office of Disability Employment Policy | The Budget launches an early intervention demonstration project allowing states to evaluate methods to help. |
| Labor | Eliminates the training grants from OSHA, a savings of almost $11 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | These grants are unproven and will focus the agency on its central work of keeping workers safe on the job. |
| State, USAID, Treasury Int’l Programs | Global Climate Change Initiative and US funding of Green Climate Fund and its two precursor Climate Investment Funds | Fulfills President’s pledge to cease payments to US climate change programs. |
| State, USAID, Treasury Int’l Programs | Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance account | This is a duplicative and stovepiped account. |
| State, USAID, Treasury Int’l Programs | Complex Crisis Fund and direct appropriations to the East-West Center. | Programs like the Complex Crisis Fund are overlapping and duplicative and the East West Center can continue with other funding sources. |
| Transportation | Eliminates Federal support for Amtrak’s long distance train services | Inefficient and incur the vast majority of Amtrak’s operating losses. |
| Transportation | Essential Air Service (EAS) program that subsidizes commercial air service to rural airports, a discretionary savings of $175 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | Flights not full, too high a subsidy/passenger, close to major airports, other modes available. |
| Transportation | TIGER discretionary grant program, saving $449 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | Unauthorized and awards are available from existing surface transportation formula programs. |
| Treasurty | Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund grants, a savings of $210 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | The industry that CDFI was intended to jump start 20 years ago is now mature. |
| Veteran Affairs | NONE MENTIONED | |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Eliminates federal funding for the Clean Power Plan, international climate change programs, climate change research and partnership programs, a savings of $100 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | The Budget reorients EPA’s air program to protect the air we breathe without unduly burdening the American economy. |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Eliminates federal funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Chesapeake Bay and other geographic programs, a savings of $427 million. | Returns responsibility to state and local entities and allows the EPA to focus on its highest national priorities |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | Eliminates Energy Star, Targeted Airshed Grants, the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program, infrastructure assistance to Alaska Native Villages and the Mexico border and more than 50 EPA programs, a savings of $347 million. | Lower priority and poorly performing programs. |
| National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) | No funding for a multi-billion-dollar mission to land on Europa. (Dan: smallest of the four Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter.) | Other missions more important according to the science community. |
| National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) | Cancels the multi-billion-dollar Asteroid Redirect Mission. (Dan: robotic visit to near-earth asteroid, collect a multi-ton boulder and use in deflection demonstration. | To accommodate increasing development costs. |
| National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) | Terminates four Earth science missions (PACE, OCO-3, DSCOVR Earth-viewing instruments and CLARREO Path Finder. | |
| National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) | The Office of Education, for a savings of $115 million. | Has experienced challenges in implementing a NASA-wide education strategy and has functions that are duplicative. |
| Small Business Administration (SBA) | PRIME technical assistance grants, Regional Innovation Clusters and Growth Accelerators. Eliminating these and other grants save $12 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. | The private sector provides effective mechanisms to foster local business development and investment. |
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