US President Donald Trump on Thursday last week unveiled his administration’s first budget blueprint. Weighted heavily in favor of security and defense, it proposes sweeping cuts to federal international aid and environmental protection budgets.
The director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget called the blueprint a “hard-power budget,” while US media has pronounced the Department of Defense the budget’s biggest winner and the and the State Department its biggest loser.
The State Department’s budget will be slashed by 28 percent, which will realize one of the Republican president’s more hardline promises made during the presidential election campaign.
Photo: Bloomberg
照片:彭博
The Pentagon is the biggest winner, with its budget set to increase by nearly 10 percent. The US Department of Defense already manages the largest defense budget in the world, which outstrips the combined budgets of the next seven highest spending nations.
In addition, the blueprint allocates approximately US$4 billion for this financial year to commence construction of a wall along the US’ southern border. Trump has consistently claimed that the Mexico government will pick up the tab for the wall’s construction. A report by investment analyst Sanford Bernstein & Co. estimates it will cost at least US$15 billion to build the wall.
The budget proposal will be heavily amended and fleshed out by Congress with a full budget expected to be released around May.
(CNA, translated by Edward Jones)
美國總統川普上週四公布偏重安全預算的首份預算藍圖中,將提議大砍美國援外和環境計畫經費。
白宮預算局長形容這是「硬實力」預算,報導稱國防部是贏家,國務院是輸家。
在這項力將大膽的競選支票化為銀彈承諾的提案中,這位共和黨籍領導人將把國務院經費大砍百分之二十八。
五角大廈將是大贏家,經費提高近一成。美國國防預算早就居全球之冠,比軍費排第二到八名的七國總和還多。
另外,大約四十億美元今年將成為專款,開始用在美國南部邊境築牆。川普先前不斷聲稱墨西哥將為築牆買單,根據桑福德伯恩斯坦研究估計,築牆將花費至少一百五十億美元。
提案內容將經過國會大幅修改並增加細節,完整預算料將在五月左右出爐。
(中央社)
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