LASN is a photographically oriented, professional journal featuring topics of concern and state-of-the-art projects designed or influenced by registered Landscape Architects.
Issue link: https://landscapearchitect.epubxp.com/i/807417
88 Landscape Architect and Specifier News I n f o r m a t i o n R e q u e s t # 6 8 0 2018 Proposed Budget: By the Numbers A PDF of the proposed 2018 federal budget is available at https:// tinyurl.com/z8nufwh . In "Equipment Companies on Edge," (WSJ M a r c h 1 7 ) construction firms and machinery m a n u f a c t u r e r s expressed their fears of Trump's "other priorities" coming ahead of his promised infrastructure plans. President Trump's preliminary 2018 budget proposal, released by the Office of Management and Budget on March 16, did not allay their concerns. Budget Director Mick Mulvaney gave the administration's order of priority: Health care, tax policy…then infrastructure. His opening message in the budget document is that "our $20 trillion national debt is a crisis." Caterpillar president Rob Charter noted that even if the administration acted today on infrastructure, his company and industry would not see the benefits until 2018, at best. The main budget proposal is $52 billion (+9% change) for the Defense Department (plus a $4.4B increase (+6% change) for Dept. of Veterans Affairs), along with $1.5 billion in immediate funding to start planning and building the Mexican border wall, and another $2.6 billion to fund border security next year. To pay for the big balance sheet increases, the administration proposes these department cuts (in alpha order): • Agriculture: -$4.7B (-21% change) • Commerce: -$1.4B (-16% change) • Education: -$9.2B (-14% change) • Energy: -$1.7B (-6% change) • EPA: -$2.5B (-31% change) • Health and Human Services: -$15.1B (-18% change) • Housing and Urban Development: -$6.2B (-13% change) • Interior (national parks, historic sites, land acquisition): -$1.6B (-12% change) • Justice: -$1.1B (-4% change) • Labor: -$2.6B (-21% change) • National Institutes of Health: -$5.8B (-18% change) • Small Business Admin: -$0.1B (-5% change) • State Dept. -$10.9B (-29% change) • Transportation: -$2.4B (-13% change). Cuts $499 million from the TIGER grant program (funds road, transit). In addition, the budget calls for 20 federal agencies/programs to lose all funding, including (in alpha order): • Corporation for Public Broadcasting • Delta Regional Authority (economic development agency for Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee). • Institute of Museum and Library • Minority Business Development Agency • National Endowment for the Arts • National Endowment for the Humanities • Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation • U.S. Institute of Peace • U.S. Trade and Development Agency This budget proposal should come as no surprise, given the president's first act was Continued on page 92