Senate Democrats: Boost domestic spending, not just defence

The House Budget Committee appears on track to vote on the measure this week. The GOP plan is a building block for allowing the Republican-controlled Congress to tackle a rewrite of the U.S. tax code this fall, a top priority of GOP leaders and President Donald Trump.

The GOP budget plan would promise a balanced federal ledger in a decade, but Republicans have no intention of actually implementing the document. Instead, their plans to increase defence would increase the deficit in coming years.

But there’s no bipartisan framework for the budget year that begins Oct. 1, and battles over the border wall and spending levels make it likely there would be a protracted impasse this fall and a real possibility of a partial government shutdown.

Capitol Hill’s defence policy committees are preparing to vote on legislation that would sharply increase funding for defence, adding almost $40 billion on top of Trump’s already generous proposed $54 billion increase for the Pentagon. At the same time, Trump is pressing to cut domestic agencies deeply below current levels, though many Republicans have registered their opposition.

“In the same way sequestration has undermined military readiness, sequestration has inhibited economic growth and job creation by failing to adequately invest in the infrastructure that makes our communities thrive,” the Democrats said. “These shortfalls hurt the American people, our economy and make us less secure as a nation.”

Democratic support is required to pass the annual round of appropriations bills, and Democrats were largely pleased with the results of last month’s spending bill, which rejected Trump’s request to start construction of the border wall and rejected cuts sought by White House budget director Mick Mulvaney.

Democrats say nondefense programs should receive increases equal to those given defence, but they settled for less in this year’s wrap-up spending bill.

The letter, also signed by top Appropriations panel Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont, warns Republicans against seeking to enact a handful of spending bills for the Pentagon and other popular agencies while failing to act on bills funding other Cabinet Departments.

Andrew Taylor, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Senate Democrats: Boost domestic spending, not just defence

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