More of what’s not in the budget… The New York Time’s describes the administration plans to create $1.5 Trillion, out of $200 Billion in infrastructure spending, over the next 10 years. City’s around the nation will need to shell out a sizable, 80% of the costs of new infrastructure development (including plans already underway). Read more in the New York Time’s article “How Trump Plans to Turn 200 Billion Into 1.5 Trillion in Infrastructure Spending.”  

Affordable Housing will be affected. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is proposed to have $8 Billion in cuts, worsening the Affordable Housing crisis as Johnathan Recford CEO of Habitat for Humanity International stated, as written in the Affordable Housing Finance article, “White House Proposes to Slash HUD Programs.” Additionally, tenant-based rental assistance programs will be hurt. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates 330,000 housing vouchers could be lost, as well as damage that can be done by plans to raise rent on poor people, tying work conditionally to housing without figuring out how, and limiting funds to several housing programs making it difficult for people to live.  Congress can still step in… 

The Wall Street Journal breaks down the budget in the article “What is the Bipartisan Spending Deal.” The areas that will need fine tuning by lawmakers over the next several weeks include an increase in military spending by $80 billion this year, $85 billion next year, and $140 billion over 2 years, for an “emergency war fund.” Domestic spending is proposed to be increased by $63 billion this year and $68 billion next year. This includes, to restate from the article; $6 billion over 2 years, in opiod and mental health care, $4 billion towards Veterans hospitals/clinics, $2 billion in national institutes of health research, $20 billion in infrastructure roads, highway, water and rural broadband, $4 billion to make college affordable and help people graduate, increases for community health centers and raising re-authorization of children’s health insurance program from 6 to 10 years. In addition some loopy tax incentives, some through 2017 involving thoroughbred horses and motorsports complexes to be awarded to those people who already acted…though no resolution for owners of farmland to give them an edge on cooperatives over independent companies. $90 billion will be used to help states ravaged by hurricanes and wildfires, and  includes $23.5 billion in FEMA disaster relief fund and minimizing future disasters. $28 billion is slated for block grants for housing/infrastructure repairs and “of that $2 billion is targeted for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands’ electrical grids.”  Here’s the New York Time’s article, “White House Proposes $4.4 Trillion Budget that adds $7 Trillion to deficits.” It has to pass Congress.