Trump’s wall-funding plan could hurt social programs

Even if he signs a bipartisan bill to fund the federal government and thereby head off a second shutdown in two months, President Donald J. Trump is not giving up on his demand for $5.7 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The funding measure, hammered out by a committee of Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate, provides $1.4 billion for the wall, the centerpiece of President Trump’s political agenda.

He is running for re-election in 2020 and knows that his supporters expect substantive progress on border security.

Trump is well aware that his 2016 victory was due, in large part, to his promise to end illegal immigration, especially from South America.

Reacting to the measure forged by the bipartisan committee, the Republican president said, “I can’t say I’m thrilled” with it.

But he made it clear the $4.3 billion gap between what he wants and what Congress is willing to give him will be closed by “supplementing things and moving things around.” He added that the money would come from “far less important areas.”

He hasn’t identified the sources of the redirected money, but it’s safe to assume that various social programs are in jeopardy.

Environmental regulations

Money spent on the enforcement of environmental regulations also could get a look-see given the Trump administration’s aversion to what it believes is an unnecessary intrusion into the affairs of business and industry.

The Defense Department would be the most logical source of money given the president’s contention that securing the border is a national security imperative. But he has also spent the last two years raving about his commitment to rebuilding the military.

Thus, it’s unlikely he will take billions out of the Pentagon.

It is, therefore, to be expected that the “far less important areas” he has talked about would be those that the administration does not consider priorities.

But President Trump will have to overcome the legal impediments of redirecting funds that have been allocated by Congress for specific purposes. There isn’t enough discretionary money in the budget to meet Trump’s $5.7 billion goal for the wall.

Although the president insists the economy is firing on all cylinders and that financing his project will not break the bank, there is a reality that’s staring Trump in the face.

In December 2017, the Republican majority in the House and Senate approved his $1.5 trillion tax-cut package, and last year Congress increased spending on domestic and military programs.

As a result, the national debt has passed a new milestone, topping $22 trillion for the first time.

According to the Associated Press, the Treasury Department’s daily statement Tuesday shows that total outstanding public debt stands at $22.01 trillion, compared with $19.95 trillion when Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2017.

The administration contends its tax cuts will eventually pay for themselves by generating faster economic growth, but many economists disagree.

The threat of a second partial government shutdown – the first lasted from Dec. 22 to Jan. 25 – has forced Republicans and Democrats in Congress to compromise on a new spending plan.

The fact that it does not provide the president with the entire $5.7 billion for his wall is a clear indication that there isn’t any appetite for another disruption in services and programs.

Financial hardships

About 800,000 federal employees did not get paid, resulting in financial hardships that still need to be addressed.

The shutdown, which took at least $6 billion out of the economy, ended when Congress passed a bill to temporarily reopen the government while lawmakers came up with a permanent solution to the impasse with the White House.

That legislation expires Friday, which is why Congress is rushing to pass the bipartisan spending bill.

As he gears up for his re-election bid in 2020, President Trump is undoubtedly going to focus on the campaign promises kept, which explains why the wall is such a big deal for him.

But here’s a question for Trump, who ran as an outsider and boasted about his deal-making abilities, regarding the funding of the border barrier: Why haven’t you been able to force Mexico to pick up the tab?

The question is prompted by the following promise Trump, the billionaire real estate developer from New York City, made during the 2016 campaign: I will be build a huge wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and Mexico will pay for it.