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Costa Statement on President Trump’s FY2018 Budget Blueprint

March 16, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Jim Costa (CA-16) released the following statement on President Donald Trump's FY2018 Budget Blueprint.

"For someone who was elected with strong support from rural America, the President's budget blueprint shows very little consideration for the people who live in America's farming communities. Federal grants, like the Community Development Block Grant and TIGER Grant, are critical funding streams for our San Joaquin Valley, and President Trump wants to completely eliminate them. Furthermore, the budget blueprint cuts the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) budget by 21 percent. The USDA oversees an array of programs, from supporting Valley farmers, investing in rural development, increasing drought resilience to managing forest cleanup and wildfire prevention.

"By adding $54 billion in military spending and cutting core programs, like those that ensure safe drinking water, provide protection from floods, fund cancer research and invest in our children's education, the budget blueprint shifts the fundamental way in which the federal government supports the American people. This proposal would prove to have negative consequences for the majority of Americans, and in failing to address the main drivers of the federal debt, it is not a serious outline to putting our country on a path forward for fiscal sustainability."

Summary of cuts in Budget Blueprint:

Department of Agriculture

The President's 2018 Budget requests $17.9 billion for USDA, a $4.7 billion or 21 percent decrease.

Eliminates the following programs:

  • Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program: Provides funding for clean drinking water, sanitary sewage disposal and storm-water drainage programs in rural areas.
  • Rural Business and Cooperative Service's discretionary programs: Provides financial assistance for economic development programs in rural communities, including renewable energy and biofuel initiatives.
  • McGovern-Dole International Food for Education Program: Supports education, child development and food security initiatives in low-income, food-deficit countries around the world.

Department of Commerce

The President's 2018 Budget requests $7.8 billion for the Department of Commerce, a $1.5 billion or 16 percent decrease.

Eliminates the following programs:

  • Economic Development Administration: Provides grants and assistance to create new jobs, retain businesses and stimulate growth in economically distressed communities.
  • Minority Business Development Agency: Promotes the growth of minority-owned businesses through advocacy, policy, research and access to capital and contracts.
  • Manufacturing Extension Partnership: Regional centers that assist smaller, U.S. manufacturing companies with adopting new technologies.

Department of Education

The President's 2018 Budget provides $59 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education, a $9 billion or 13 percent reduction.

Eliminates the following programs:

  • Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants: Provides grants to non-profit organizations that recruit and provide professional enhancement for teachers and principals.
  • 21st Century Community Learning Centers: Supports community learning centers that provide before-and after-school programs for children, particularly those in high-poverty areas.
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant: Provides need-based grants of up to $4,000 to low-income undergraduates for postsecondary education.
  • Striving Readers: Helps states fund literacy programs for children, birth through grade 12, including those with disabilities and limited English.
  • Teacher Quality Partnership: Funds initiatives aimed at improving the quality of new teachers through better development and recruiting methods.
  • Impact Aid Support Payments for Federal Property: Provides funding to school districts that have a diminished tax base due to federal property ownership in the district.

Department of Energy

The President's 2018 Budget requests $28.0 billion for DOE, a $1.7 billion or 5.6 percent decrease.

Eliminates the following programs:

  • Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy: Provides funding and support to short-term energy research projects aimed at improving the U.S. economy, environment and national security.
  • Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program: Provides loans to support the use of new energy technology.
  • Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program: Provides loans to automotive and component manufacturers for facilities and engineering that support advanced technology vehicles.
  • Weatherization Assistance Program: Provides grants to local governments to improve weatherization and energy efficiency of homes of low-income residents.
  • State Energy Program: Supports local State Energy Offices in advancing energy efficiency and infrastructure.

Department of Health and Human Services

The President's 2018 Budget requests $69.0 billion for HHS, a $15.1 billion or 17.9 percent decrease.

Eliminates the following programs:

  • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program: Provides assistance to low income families to help pay for their home's energy bills and some energy-related maintenance.
  • Community Services Block Grant: Funds projects aimed at reducing poverty in communities, including projects focused on education, nutrition, employment and housing.

Department of Housing and Urban Development

The President's 2018 Budget requests $40.7 billion in gross discretionary funding for HUD, a $6.2 billion or 13.2 percent decrease.

Eliminates funding for the following programs:

  • Community Development Block Grant Program: Funds programs that assist low-income people with housing issues, including the elimination of urban blight and other community programs.
  • HOME Investment Partnerships Program: Provides block grants to state and local governments to create affordable housing solutions for low-income households.
  • Choice Neighborhoods: Funds programs to replace distressed public housing and promotes investment for neighborhood improvement.
  • Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program: Funds nonprofit organizations that build new housing for low-income families through sweat equity and volunteer labor, like Habitat for Humanity.
  • Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing: Works with nonprofit groups to fund community development and affordable housing initiatives aimed at low-income families.

Department of Labor

The President's 2018 Budget requests $9.6 billion for the Department of Labor, a $2.5 billion or 21 percent decrease.

Eliminates the following programs:

  • Senior Community Service Employment Program: A community service and work-based job training program for older Americans, including training for low-income, unemployed seniors.
  • Bureau of International Labor Affairs grant program: Provides funding for research initiatives and projects in over 94 countries to combat child labor and forced labor.
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration training grants: Provides grants for training and education programs for employers and workers on the prevention of safety and health hazards in the workplace.

Department of Transportation

The President's 2018 Budget requests $16.2 billion for DOT's discretionary budget, a $2.4 billion or 13 percent decrease.

Eliminates the following programs:

  • Federal support for Amtrak's long distance train services: Subsidizes the cost of traveling on Amtrak's long-distance routes.
  • Essential Air Service: Subsidizes airlines for regular flights to and from small and midsize regional airports like those in the San Joaquin Valley.
  • TIGER discretionary grant program: Provides transportation infrastructure grants to state, local and tribal governments.

Environmental Protection Agency

The President's 2018 Budget requests $5.7 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, a savings of $2.6 billion, or 31 percent decrease.

Eliminates the following programs:

  • Clean Power Plan: Creates national standards for carbon pollution from power plants and helps states develop and deploy clean energy alternatives.
  • International climate change programs: Promotes clean and efficient energy technologies and the sharing of scientific climate research through multilateral initiatives and treaties.
  • Climate change research and partnership programs: Research and report on climate change's impact on the U.S.
  • Energy Star: Certifies and recognizes buildings and consumer products that meet specific energy-efficiency criteria.
  • Targeted Air Shed grants: Assists local and state air pollution control agencies in developing plans and implementing projects to reduce air pollution in highly polluted areas, like the San Joaquin Valley.

Small Business Administration

The President's 2018 Budget requests $826.5 million for SBA, a $43.2 million or 5.0 percent decrease.

Eliminates the following programs:

  • PRIME technical assistance grants: Provides training and technical assistance to organizations that help disadvantaged entrepreneurs.
  • Regional Innovation Clusters: Supports public-private partnerships concentrated in regional groups to strengthen small businesses.
  • Growth Accelerators: Funds startups that support underserved communities and areas with less access to venture capital.