This is what you get as president when you have the lowest approval ratings in history: ignored. That's exactly how Republicans and Democrats alike are handling Donald Trump's budget request for $18 billion in non-defense cuts for 2017. Rebecca Shabad writes:
A Democratic appropriations aide told CBS News that Mr. Trump’s requested $18 billion in cuts for the current fiscal year are not in the scope of current and ongoing negotiations. The source said that there are many open items, and negotiators have not resolved how the final package will respond to the administration’s supplemental request for defense and border security funding.
Another congressional source said there doesn’t seem to be a lot of interest on either side of the aisle so far in pushing the cuts that are not related to defense spending.
The White House asked for the cuts alongside a $30 billion increase for defense spending plus $3 billion more for border security (including $1.5 billion for Trump's border wall).
But Republicans are eager to reach a deal to keep the government funded by the April 28 deadline, and they're keenly aware that they can't afford to alienate Democrats since they'll need them to clear the 60 vote threshold. Democrats will never vote for a bill that levels deep cuts at domestic programs. But to hear Republicans tell it, the cuts are still on the table.
“Everything is still under negotiations,” said Jennifer Hing, spokeswoman to Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee.
Bruce Evans, staff director to Republicans on the Senate Appropriations panel, said he couldn’t confirm that the cuts are being excluded and said that “the proposal is not being ignored.”
I mean, no one wants to wake up to an angry 5 AM tweet from the Twittler, do they? But the real fireworks will begin when lawmakers start wrangling over the 2018 budget, which must be passed by Sept. 30.