BUDGET/DEFENSE/GOVERNMENT/MILITARY/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [10-17-18] instructed federal department leaders to slash 5 percent from their budgets next year, signaling a renewed interest in belt-tightening amid mounting deficits…Even the military could see slight cuts from its current budget: Trump said the Pentagon’s budget would ‘likely be $700 billion,’ according to a White House pool report. That would shave off roughly $16 billion, or 2.3 percent, from the Department of Defense, which was recently granted its largest budget since the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump’s comments come just days after his own administration reported the U.S. budget deficit reached a six-year high. The budget shortfall for Trump’s first full fiscal year in office totaled $776 billion — 17 percent higher than the previous year. For the first two years of his presidency, the White House has largely ignored the rising red ink as Trump prioritized a massive military build-up and poured money into campaign promises like funding to fight opioids or boost veterans’ benefits.”
–Sarah Ferris, “Trump threatens 5 percent spending cut for agencies, $700B Pentagon budget,” Politico, October 17, 2018 2:25 pm