
On Monday, the Trump administration and congressional leaders agreed to a budget deal, which the House approved on Thursday. (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted on the 2020 and 2021 budgets, which will raise base discretionary spending by $322 billion over the next two years. The budget is the result of a deal made by President Trump and congressional leaders on Monday.
Justin Bogie, a senior policy analyst focusing on fiscal affairs at Heritage, said the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 “contains almost no victories for conservatives.”
“Agreeing to this budget deal would flatly contradict the policies this administration has put forward,” said Bogie. “The president has lamented how much the debt grew under President Barack Obama, but if this latest budget deal becomes law, his record will be no better.”
In order to increase spending, the proposed deal raises the discretionary spending caps, which were first set in 2011 as part of the Budget Control Act. These spending caps have been raised for all three previous biannual budgets as well.
Of the new $322 billion in spending, $150 billion would be spent on domestic programs, many of which fall outside the proper role of the federal government and should be cut or eliminated instead of receiving additional funding. Just over $170 billion would go toward national defense.
Another point of contention for conservatives is the $738 billion allocated for total military spending, which falls short of the $750 billion requested by Trump.
Rep. Mike Johnson, La., chairman of the Republican Study Committee, voiced his displeasure with the budget. “[The budget] increases spending by about $2 trillion over the next 10 years, but provides only $77 billion in offsets. With more than $22 trillion in debt, we simply cannot afford deals like this one.”
Read more about this budget deal on The Daily Signal:
- Art of the Budget Deal: Trump, Pelosi Agree to Up Spending and Debt
- Massive Budget Deal Would Add Huge Debt on Trump’s Watch
- What Led to This Nasty, Ugly Spending Bill
- Hill Conservatives Sound Alarm Over Spending Deal
Watch: The Worst Spending Deal in a Decade
With U.S. debt already reaching crisis levels, this budget represents a turn for the worst. Watch Romina Boccia, director of Heritage’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, explain why – and how – we can address the debt crisis. America’s Biggest Issues: The Debt Is Mounting. Here’s How to Rescue Our Children’s Future.
How should Congress have set the budget? Read Heritage’s Blueprint for Balance to find out.
What are your thoughts on the 2020-2021 budget?
Alita Arnold - July 26, 2019
This Budget Deal is the WORST DEAL OF THE CENTURY!! Can’t believe Trump is going to endorse it. NO! NO ! NO !