BUDGET/DEFENSE/ENTITLEMENTS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump released a $4.8 trillion budget proposal on Monday [2-10-20] that includes a familiar list of deep cuts to student loan assistance, affordable housing efforts, food stamps and Medicaid, reflecting Mr. Trump’s election-year effort to continue shrinking the federal safety net. The proposal, which is unlikely to be approved in its entirety by Congress, includes additional spending for the military, national defense and border enforcement, along with money for veterans, Mr. Trump’s Space Force initiative and an extension of the individual income tax cuts that were set to expire in 2025. Its biggest reduction is an annual 2 percent decrease in spending on discretionary domestic programs, like education and environmental protection.”
–Jim Tankersley, Margot Sanger-Katz, Alan Rappeport and Emily Cochrane, “Trump’s $4.8 Trillion Budget Would Cut Safety Net Programs and Boost Defense,” The New York Times online, February 10, 2020