Democrats got an early start slamming President Trump’s upcoming budget for expected cuts to social welfare programs, saying that it breaks his campaign promises to help working-class Americans, The Washington Times reported yesterday. The budget is expected to make good on Trump’s promises to boost Pentagon spending, slash non-defense spending and rein in the federal government. It also will seek to roll back some of the social welfare programs expanded during the Great Recession, shifting responsibility for many programs back to the states. That’s a nonstarter for Democrats. Budgets are basically political documents that are often deemed dead-on-arrival in Congress. They do outline White House priorities and serve a starting point for spending negotiations in Congress. Still, the early and strong opposition from Democrats, who succeeded in blocking Trump’s proposed cuts in the final spending bill of the current fiscal year, signaled the tough fight ahead.
