Yesterday, the Trump administration submitted its 2018 budget proposal to Congress. As predicted, there are deep cuts to virtually every department. Some of the hardest hit? The EPA (down 31%), the State Department (down 29%), and the USDA (down 21%), and the Department of Health and Human Services (down 18%).
The negative consequences to public health, food safety, rural development, and the environment could be dire. But what really stings is the elimination of arts and science programs. Gutting the National Endowment of the Arts and National Endowment of the Humanities–which represent just 0.02% of the overall budget–is not a cost-saving measure. It’s a petty political vendetta that’s symbolically undermining the creative soul of America.