Trump’s ‘Skinny’ Budget ‘Just the Beginning’ of Process, Says Secretary Chao
Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao followed up on the White House’s so-called “skinny” budget to reassure the public about the department’s commitment to safety amid proposed cuts.
“This is just the beginning of the budget process, not the end,” the secretary wrote on the department’s blog on March 16, after the White House had unveiled its fiscal 2018 budget blueprint.
“The budget announced today preserves the ongoing safety programs at the heart of our department’s mission. In addition, it reaffirms the president’s strong commitment to modernizing our country’s outdated infrastructure with a strategic, targeted program of investments that will improve our economy, strengthen competitiveness and create jobs,” Chao added.
President Trump’s request would reduce discretionary transportation funding by 12.7%, to $16.2 billion from $18.6 billion, prompting criticism from key congressional funding leaders.
The request, however, noted the administration’s support for the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects grants. Established by the 2015 FAST Act highway law with $900 million funding approval through 2020, the grants are designed to help improve the flow of trucks and rail along freight corridors.
Other agencies would see cuts, as well. The blueprint calls for a reduction in U.S. EPA funding by 31%. At the Department of Energy, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, which is researching battery technology and automated vehicles, would be eliminated.
“Budget reduces or eliminates programs that are either inefficient, duplicative of other federal efforts or that involve activities that are better delivered by states, localities or the private sector,” according to the blueprint.
