Donald Trump's budget: US defence boosted, education cuts proposed
US President Donald Trump on Friday proposed a $163 billion cut to the federal budget for the next fiscal year, reducing spending on education, housing, and medical research, and increasing allocations for defence and border security.
Homeland security spending would rise by nearly 65 per cent from 2025 levels, as the administration targets illegal immigration.
Separately, non-defence discretionary spending, which excludes social security, medicare, and interest payments, would be cut by 23 per cent, reaching its lowest level since 2017, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
As his first budget since returning to office, Trump's plan aims to fulfil pledges to increase funding for border security while scaling back parts of the federal bureaucracy, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats pushed back against the domestic spending cuts, calling them excessive, while some Republicans urged increased funding for defence and other sectors.
The proposal also includes a cut of over $2 billion to the Internal Revenue Service and reduces funding for the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by more than 40 per cent.
With agencies inputs
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Hindustan Times
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