Trump budget plan draws strong opposition — from Republicans
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who once headed the panel responsible for the foreign aid budget, stressed the need for robust spending as word circulated on Capitol Hill about the GOP president's proposal.
Trump's draft budget plan would add $54 billion to the Pentagon's projected budget, financed by taking an equal amount from domestic agencies and departments.
The proposed cut to the State Department's diplomatic corps and the foreign aid budget are particularly striking, and likely to include security contractors at diplomatic missions abroad after the GOP criticized Democrats for security at the U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans died in a 2012 attack.
Said Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee: "I am very concerned by reports of deep cuts that could damage efforts to combat terrorism, save lives, and create opportunities for American workers."
Top congressional priorities include aid to disadvantaged schools, Pell Grants for low-income college students, medical research, Amtrak subsidies, and water and sewer projects.