One of the
things that happen each year in our government is the annual budget of our
Federal Government. Being a person in
Finance this has always interested me because I really do wonder how much of
our budget is wasted and how much is really necessary.
So I have
decided as part of this site to go over each area of the ‘Make America Great
Again’ budget and communicate on it so we can see whether we agree or disagree
with how our money is being spent.
So what I noticed
first about the budget was that the first ten was all about the reasons for the
cuts in each department, how it was for efficiency purposes and the need for
the increase in areas of defense of this country.
The first
department to be discussed is the Department of Agriculture. This department is to provide leadership to
promote sustainable agriculture production, protect long term availability of
food through innovative research, and safeguard the health and productivity of
the nation’s forests, grasslands and private working lands. Basically, this department is about
protecting our food and our forests.
The message
on the budget for this department was about streamlining or reducing programs
where the department competes with the private sector or other levels of
government. So basically, where they
think these services can be provided by the businesses or departments that they
think are better, the services are cut or reduced.
The budget
reflects a 4.7 Billion dollar, or 21%, reduction, from the previous budget.
The
reductions or eliminations are as follows:
-Reducing funding for lower priorities in the
National Forest System, such as major new Federal land acquisition, instead focusing
on maintaining existing lands.
-Basically this program reduces the chance of the government buying
up land to either protect or sell for their own use therefore leaving it open
for the ‘private’ sector.
-Reduces funding for USDA’s statistical capabilities,
while maintaining core Departmental analytical functions, such as the funding
necessary to complete the Census of Agriculture.
-Reducing
the amount of statistics is always a good thing.
-Eliminates the duplicative Water and Wastewater loan and grant program,
a savings of $498 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. Rural communities
can be served by private sector financing or other Federal investments in rural
water infrastructure, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s State
Revolving Funds.
-This
program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems,
sanitary sewage system, sewage disposal, sanitary waste disposal and storm
water drainage to businesses and homes in rural areas.
-So
basically this is to push the safety of our water into the hands of the private
sector or the states. For example,
Flint, Michigan.
-Reduces duplicative and underperforming programs by eliminating
discretionary activities of the Rural Business and Cooperative Service, a
savings of $95 million from the 2017 annualized CR level.
-This
offers programs to support business development and job training opportunities
for rural residents.
-Discretionary
spending is optional spending for programs which means it can be eliminated
easily.
-What
actual programs this will reduce or cut is not known.
-Eliminates the
McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program, which lacks evidence
that it is being effectively implemented to reduce food insecurity.
-This program provides for US agricultural products as well as
feeding of school age children in poverty stricken countries.
--Where is the evidence that it is not working because there is
plenty of evidence that it does.
-Are we okay with providing for other countries feeding as part
of our spending in this country?
Not a lot of
people know about the Department of Agriculture and people forget that there is
still farming going on in today’s country.
Do we believe
that we should be cutting federal programs where they are in direct competition
with private businesses? Do we believe that
incidents like GMO labeling or the Flint Crisis would be better off in the
hands of corporate America?
We should agree
that spending by the government needs to be more efficient but to do it so that
corporations are in charge only brings about the country being at the mercy of
them same corporations.
Is that the
country we want?
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