Budget

In Smart Dissent's Budget Cuts Series, we are detailing as many of the White House proposed budget cuts as we can keep up with.  We seek to learn and share what's hidden beneath the surface which are so many programs, facilities, and people that don't receive proper headlines and focus.

Since Trump and his cronies aiming for societal destruction released the White House 2020 budget earlier in March, we've been reviewing numerous details we'll discuss in the coming weeks.  First up are savage proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Congressional Republicans make up bullsh-t that we will “innovate” our way out of our climate crisis.   So will they do that by supporting Trump’s 70% cut to renewable energy research?

Trump administration is again seeking severe cuts to the U.S. Energy Department division charged with renewable energy and energy efficiency research.... the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy would see its $2.3 billion budget slashed by about 70 percent, to $700 million, under Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget request.

Near the end of 2017, Republicans scammed the county with a tax heist for the richest individuals and corporations.  Not only did they drastically cut their taxes, they increased those in the middle class.  And as has always been the case because 'trickle-down economics' is a debunked made-up concept, they pocketed the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Here is another example of a Republican being appointed to lead an organization or department who entirely hates its purpose and existence.  The best way to gain power under Trump and Republicans as they seek to dismantle government-related entities that help ensure a functional Planet Earth is to spend your career hating said entities.

We at Smart Dissent and all of you have known every step of the way that Trump's trade wars were a significant drain on our people and the GOP tax scam was benefitting only corporations, not us.  When we started to do more research on the impacts to write this post, we found something shocking: even the ultra right wing Heritage Foundation has numerous posts crushing Trump for his trade war.  Now that's saying something!

Here's the only time we're ever going to quote those clowns on Smart Dissent:

Over the past two years, Trump and Republicans have pushed through a massively unpopular tax cut that drastically lowered taxes on the wealthiest people and corporations.  This caused a massive budget deficit. 

Their solutions to the unfathomable loss of revenue to fund our government is save money by hurting the lower and middle class any way they can.  In this case, Trump has canceled the 2019 pay raise for federal employees.  

The Republican tax scam in late 2017 was known by all intelligent people to be a massive giveaway to the wealthiest Americans and largest corporations.  Most everyone else besides them would eventually see their tax burden INCREASE.  If you're reading this web site, you know this already so instead let's share some new analysis from mid-November on the impacts after one year.

Nearly a year after the tax cut, economic growth has accelerated. Wage growth has not. Companies are buying back stock and business investment is a mixed bag.

Ben Carson was confirmed as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in March 2017.  Carson had zero experience in housing policy, but has said that anyone who questions his qualifications are stupid.  He actually said that.   Yet here we are and millions ARE SUFFERING as a result.

Trump, who believes he's a champion of veterans continues to work to expand privatization of Veterans care. This would be a costly disaster for our Veterans because Republicans would refuse to cover the massive increase in costs.  Please read on.

The Blue Wave on November 6, 2018 included so much good news it was difficult to process it all.  Over the next few weeks, Smart Dissent will attempt to recap the progress we made together including well-publicized topics and less covered ones.

Our third post is that Medicaid won BIG with ballot initiatives passing in several states and new governors elected in other states who are in favor of it.

Three states voted Tuesday to expand their Medicaid programs, which will extend coverage to an estimated 325,000 low-income Americans.