Everyone Should Be Happy! $1.3 Trillion Bill Passes

[Zacha341]

Woohoo! I get that the gov was about to shut now... ok so shall we get out the party favors? Looks like everyone wins!! Dem, Repubs, this and that and truly the other with this new whopping 1.3 TRILLION Budget Spending Bill!

Feel the love: Read the list of things included. President Trump promised he would not fund some of these items during his campaign, but maybe the folks that want him to be impeached will do nice now......

Now when former president Obama spent to the moon... well?

https://www.npr.org/2018/03/23/59652...happy-about-it

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...nnell-congress

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...-trump-n859421

[Richard]

Lol,do not hold your breath on the impeachment dreams,there are some who believe we have a dictatorship and the president controls all.

Just a shame that the democrats have not come up with a DACA solution yet,all that hubbub about careing about others and trying to shut the government down,but yet no solutions.

But that is politics,it's kinda like going to the flea market and bargaining towards something that makes most happy.

https://appropriations.house.gov/new...umentID=395050

the actual bill ^

[Zacha341]

^^^ Hah. Not holding my breath - did not vote for Hill or Trump. I'm just wondering how settling in to being a 'politician' is going for him?

A percentage who voted for him - aside from not wanting to vote for Clinton - did so as they thought he was going to be an 'outsider' for a change. Now we have this, and dredging up Bolton too [[of Bush - WMD era!?)...

I also think had Hillary Clinton tried this with even a Dem senate, more protest would have erupted.

And yes, for sure DACA was/is classic kick-the-can politics!
Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes - style!

[Honky Tonk]

Reservations are made, flights are booked, time for spring break. Looks like I lose again.

[Lowell]

Out of curiosity I searched the State of the Union speech for the word deficit.

It appears only once, not in reference to the federal deficit but in reference to a "the infrastructure deficit".

Isn't it amazing how the world deficit has disappeared, particularly from the Republican lexicon, after years of incessant whining about it?

And an "the infrastructure deficit"? How will that be paid for? Like the tax cut, by more deficit-adding unfunded spending.

But, of course, it will be paid back by the magic bunny of economic growth and savings created by rebuilt infrastructure. Just like all the other tax cuts have.

[aj3647]

And yes, for sure DACA was/is classic kick-the-can politics!
Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes - style!

Last month, Democrats offered to fund Trump's border wall [[$25 billion) in exchange for legalizing the Dreamers. Trump said no. Even the Koch brothers were calling Trump and telling him to take that deal.

Isn't it amazing how the world deficit has disappeared, particularly from the Republican lexicon, after years of incessant whining about it?

Deficits only matter to Republicans when there's a Democrat in the White House. Trump has now given us two straight years of deficit growth over Obama's last federal budget in 2016. This year's deficit is slated to be the highest since 2012, when we were just starting to recover from the Great Recession.

[oladub]

Last month, Democrats offered to fund Trump's border wall [[$25 billion) in exchange for legalizing the Dreamers. Trump said no. Even the Koch brothers were calling Trump and telling him to take that deal.

Deficits only matter to Republicans when there's a Democrat in the White House.

Trump's wall will do nothing to prevent future presidents doing the bidding of employers, including the Koch brothers, looking for cheaper labor or Democratic strategists counting on foreign voters. The next time a W. Bush or Obama takes office, they will just open the gates making the wall a waste of money. Trump also wanted an end to the diversity lottery and reduction in chain migration.

"Deficits only matter to Republicans when there's a Democrat in the White House." - and visa versa it seems. Your criticism of Republican spending is justifiable but I missed the part about how Democrats who now oppose federal deficits suggested eliminating them beyond criticizing Trump's tax bill which will cause $1.1B to $1.5T of new debt over 10 years. What about the other 85% of the new deficit? I previously suggested cutting military spending and eliminating every federal program doing things not delegated to the federal government per the 10th. Amendment. For instance, most federal educational and housing programs could be eliminated while raising tariffs for more revenue. I don't remember your suggestions about where to cut out $1T of new deficits/year or where to raise that money.

[Richard]

I am with AJ on this one,who does the president think he is not to take advice from the Koch brothers,does he not know that we in America prefer corporations running the presidency.

You are racist if to do not agree with the refugee program because it only costs 10 billion a year.

You are anti immigration if you do not agree with illegal immigration at a cost of 100 billion a year.

Compassion is an expensive endeavor that needs to be paid for.

Cuts and Terminations – The legislation cuts or terminates several lower-priority, unproven, or unnecessary programs. For example, some of these cuts include:

• A cut of $150 million in refugee programs, consistent with the budget request;
• A cut of $450 million for the Unaccompanied Alien Children program;
• A cut of $91 million for the Dislocated Workers National Reserve;
• A cut of $10 million for the Wage and Hour Division;
• A cut of $10 million for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Assistance;
• A cut of $21 million for OSHA;
• A cut of $14 million for MSHA;
• A cut of $219 in CMS program management;
• A cut of $25 million for the NLRB

Several programs were also terminated; some of these include:

• Employment Service Grants [[$671 million);
• International Labor Affairs Grants [[$60 million), consistent with the budget request;
• CDC Climate Change program [[$10 million), consistent with the budget request;
• Economic Development Grants [[$20 million), consistent with the budget request;
• “Striving Readers” program [[$190 million), consistent with the budget request;
• Health Careers Opportunity Program [[$14 million), consistent with the budget request; and
• Overseas foreign language study program [[$7 million), consistent with the budget request.

[Honky Tonk]

A cut of $219 in CMS program management;

They could have left that one. I mean, c'mon, $219?

[Richard]

They could have left that one. I mean, c'mon, $219?

Remember not long ago when they were going spastic about how the president was going to slash Medicaid and Medicare and he did not care about the old folks,that was the slashing. Lol

A token cut.

219 was also the amount of republican house members that voted for the cut.

The interesting one is the health careers opportunity programs.

Total Funding Available: $11,000,000
Number of Awards: 20
Average Size of Awards: $650,000

So 20 hospitals were paid $650,000 to employ a nurse in a rural setting,would they have not had to have a nurse anyways

[pjbear05]

Impeachment? Go ahead on, and immediately get President Pence.
Be careful what you wish for.

[Zacha341]

Pense goes next is the idea perhaps!

[Maof]

Impeachment? Go ahead on, and immediately get President Pence.
Be careful what you wish for.

Oh, hell no!

[GMan]

There's no Joy in Mudville with this budget. Unless of course you are an embedded politician or a connected benefactor.

[aj3647]

Trump's wall will do nothing to prevent future presidents doing the bidding of employers, including the Koch brothers,

He's more than happy to take their money though.

As for chain migration, here's a question for you: How did Melania Trump's parents get American green cards? Was it because they were highly educated and possessed valuable skills and got in on merit? What two-word term describes how her parents got American citizenship?

Trump used 200 illegal Polish immigrants to help build Trump Tower in the 80's. And every year, Trump requests ~70 H-2B visas to staff Mar-a-lago with cheap Hispanic foreign labor.

But hey oladub, keep on pretending like Trump is a champion of the American working man. He's not like those evil Koch Brothers, he CARES about the American worker! Hey oladub, where are all of Donald and Ivanka's clothing line and products made again? Here in the good ol' USA, by American workers? Or China?

[oladub]

aj, In post #6 you wrote, "Last month, Democrats offered to fund Trump's border wall [[$25 billion) in exchange for legalizing the Dreamers. Trump said no. Even the Koch brothers were calling Trump and telling him to take that deal." I responded to that. The Koch brothers support cheap foreign labor and oppose some of Trump's immigration reduction initiatives. They aren't on the same page as you imply.

Q. "How did Melania Trump's parents get American green cards?" I don't know. Did they arrive after the inauguration or while Obama was still President? Trump's proposed legislation reduces the relative relationships allowed to be brought in to spouses and minor children. If passed, and Melania's parents weren't already here, they would have to apply for their own visa. If you are implying they came here because of chain migration, Snopes says that is "unproven". Also, they are not U.S. citizens as you incorrectly claimed.

If Trump hired Polish workers the question is, was it legal? Same with the clothing line. I'm for tariffs. Trump is suggesting some tariffs. You just criticize. You might as well be asking if Trump is going to accept Social Security. The new budget expands the number of foreign workers. I'm disappointed but what did Democrats do to prevent that? There is little point in criticizing something if you don't support a solution. By the way, here I am answering your pop quiz but you haven't responded to the last question I asked you about where you would trim or fund a trillion dollar deficit from the annual budget.

[aj3647]

I am answering your pop quiz but you haven't responded to the last question I asked you about where you would trim or fund a trillion dollar deficit from the annual budget.

We wouldn't have a trillion dollar deficit if Trump didn't cut taxes and then RAISE spending, including an extra $130 billion for the military. So I would start by not having done either of those two things and the deficit would be half of what it is now. Bring back U.S. troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria [[none of which Trump has done, just the opposite in fact) and there's more savings to be had. But I never once said we had to have a balanced budget. That has always been a conservative POV, but again, only a conservative POV when there's a Democrat in the White House.

As for Melania Trump's parents, they are just waiting on their naturalization ceremony to be scheduled, they've already been approved and are just waiting to take the oath at this point. And since they are both retirees who worked unskilled labor jobs in Slovenia, just using basic common sense, how do you think they got that impending citizenship?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...8eb_story.html

Call me crazy, but I don't think they got in based on what they could contribute to the American workforce.

As for Trump using illegal Polish workers to build Trump Tower, he did. That's true. It happened. He even got sued for it. Trump's defense was that he "didn't know they were illegal", so he claimed ignorance, but it is a stone-cold fact that Trump Tower was build using illegal immigrant labor.

But yes oladub, you're right. I criticize. I criticize a man who's words do not match his actions. A man who preaches "America First" should not have most of his branded products made in China. A man who preaches against the evils of immigration should not employ Americans to do jobs at Mar-a-lago that Americans could be doing. Do you not see the inherent hypocrisy there, or do you just not care? Does Trump get a "mulligan" from you, like he does from the Evangelicals for all of his extramarital affairs?

If Trump can't get Americans to wait tables at Mar-a-lago, maybe he should pay more so he can attract American workers. Instead, he imports Hispanics to cook his food and bus his tables for bottom-barrel wages. MAGA.

[oladub]

Aj, "According to Congressional Budget Office estimates, [[Trump's tax) bill will add more than $1 trillion to the national debt over the next decade." That works out to about $.1T/ per year. What exactly did Democrats do to prevent Trump from raising spending which according to your formula constitutes the other 9/10 of this year's $1T federal deficit or Obama from actually running the government $10T into debt? I wish Trump hadn't gone along with Democrats or spent so much on the military but its good to know that you want to "Bring back U.S. troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria". Its something we agree on. I even wanted to do that when Obama was President. "According to a Congressional Budget Office [[CBO) report published in October 2007, the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could cost taxpayers a total of $2.4 trillion by 2017 when counting the huge interest costs because combat is being financed with borrowed money." -wikipedia

Re Melania. Before you wrote in past tense, "What two-word term describes how her parents got American citizenship?" Now, you've changed your story to "they are just waiting on their naturalization ceremony to be scheduled." Your article suggests Melania's folks were let in during the Obama administration. Immigration laws have not been changed since.

I supported Ron Paul in 2008 who was about balancing the budget, and bringing the troops home from Iraq in six months. Some of his supporters were accused of accepting Social Security checks even though some didn't support Social Security. Ron Paul's response was that since they had been forced to pay into it, there was nothing immoral about getting some of it back. That's what you are doing criticizing Trump for hiring cheaper foreign workers. His competition does. Some manufacturers even import foreign products made completely with foreign labor. If Trump wants to stay competitive in business, he does the same. What differentiates Trump from sanctimonious Democrats is that he wishes to change some of the immigration rules to make it harder for everyone, including himself, to profit by hiring illegal non-citzens. If you want to prohibit Trump from hiring foreigners, support candidates who will make illegals illegal. Would I prefer that Trump made less profit by hiring fewer foreign workers or that liberals would buy US made cars? Answer: yes.

[aj3647]

That's what you are doing criticizing Trump for hiring cheaper foreign workers. His competition does. Some manufacturers even import foreign products made completely with foreign labor. If Trump wants to stay competitive in business, he does the same. What differentiates Trump from sanctimonious Democrats is that he wishes to change some of the immigration rules to make it harder for everyone, including himself, to profit by hiring illegal non-citzens. If you want to prohibit Trump from hiring foreigners, support candidates who will make illegals illegal. Would I prefer that Trump made less profit by hiring fewer foreign workers or that liberals would buy US made cars? Answer: yes.

Ah, always a creative excuse for why it's OK for Trump to do it, just not anyone else. It's a total and complete LIE that Trump wants to "change the rules" in a way that will make it harder for him to profit. Just the opposite in fact. Here I'll give you two very obvious examples:

1) Notice that Trump has called for tariffs only on the importation of products that his businesses don't sell? Steel, aluminum, cars... Trump doesn't make money off those things. How about tariffs on imported clothing? Nope, because Trump and Ivanka do make money off those things. And that's why you'll NEVER see tariffs come from this White House on any foreign-made imported products sold by the Trumps and their businesses. Count on it. Those Ivanka-brand shoes and Trump-branded shirts and ties will always flow into this country tariff-free, at the expense of Americans who once produced products like those for a living wage.

2) While Trump works to reduce the number of H-1B visas [[highly-skilled foreigners with advanced degrees, like engineers and IT professionals from India) ostensibly to "protect American workers" along with seeking to slash all sorts of other legal immigration [[refugee programs, visa lottery, etc.), the one area of immigration that he seems totally cool with are H-2B visas [[those visas for low-skilled agricultural or seasonal workers in the service industry). Last year Trump increased the H-1B visa program by 15,000 visas.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-wage-workers/

Of course, it's probably just a weird coincidence that the H-1B program is the very same program that Trump uses to staff his resorts with cheap imported seasonal labor, including 70 H-1B workers at Mar-a-lago.

So there you have it, Trump's "rules changes" are carefully crafted to not hurt him financially. Even for the tax cuts, Trump lied repeatedly and said he was taking a "huge hit" when the exact opposite was true, Trump and his brood stood to personally make tens of millions of dollars off the tax cuts he championed.

Look oladub, everything Donald Trump does is first and foremost designed to benefit HIM. Not you, not America...himself. I suspect that was the appeal of his wanting to be President, so he could use the power of the office to enrich himself, his family, and his inner-circle of friends and sycophants.

[oladub]

1) What do trump's businesses sell? Trump certainly hasn't been good for his hotels. Foreign tourism is down and now foreign tourists may have to go through additional hassles. Trump headquarters in NY is constantly besieged with protesters. The name "Trump" has had to come off of some of his buildings. In short, you are wrong except that his businesses don't sell steel and aluminum. How much did he pay out of his own pocket to get elected. Do tell if he has made that back on his businesses.

2) I previously made mention that Trump upped that one category of foreign workers but thanks for mentioning it again. That's sort of small though compared with, in your words, his attempts to reduce "the number of H-1B visas [[highly-skilled foreigners with advanced degrees, like engineers and IT professionals from India) ostensibly to "protect American workers" along with seeking to slash all sorts of other legal immigration [[refugee programs, visa lottery, etc.)" Yesterday, Trump's popularity was back up to 50% higher than Obama's at the same point in his administration and today we had the extra good news that Trump plans to defend our borders with troops. That alone will stop a lot more economic invaders then the 15,000 legal visas you mentioned.

So keep telling yourself that Trump's only about himself and Russians are everwhere. Trump is far from my perfect candidate but compared with Obama inviting in illegal aliens and legislating with executive orders to prioritize them over Americans, Trump is a distinct improvement. Maybe you'll get lucky and some Democratic judge will rule that the military can no longer protect our borders.

[aj3647]

1) What do trump's businesses sell?

Really dude? You don't know what he sells?
https://www.trump.com/merchandise/signature-collection/

https://www.ivankatrump.com/articles/category/style

Trump certainly hasn't been good for his hotels.

Trump's DC Hotel made a massive profit in 2017, which was unexpected because most new luxury hotels don't turn a profit in their first few years of operation.

https://www.axios.com/the-dc-trump-h...74fda0396.html

Meanwhile after he was inaugurated, the membership fee at Mar-a-lago DOUBLED from 100K to 200K:

http://www.businessinsider.com/mar-a...-200000-2017-1

Certainly seems like people are willing to spend money at his properties in order to curry favor with the President.

How much did he pay out of his own pocket to get elected. Do tell if he has made that back on his businesses.

Very good question and one that is also very easy to answer. He spent $66.1 million of his own money on his campaign, which represented 8.4% of his total campaign funding. A sizable investment, to be sure, but a profitable one. For starters, about $12 million of that was in loans, for which he can be paid back by his campaign. Another $10 million or so was funneled back into his own pocket by buying goods and services from his own properties [[golf courses, hotels, restaurants, rental space in Trump Tower, etc.). So at the end of the day, it's really closer to about $45 million.

Now, how much has his $45 million investment paid off? Well, just from the tax cut alone, he stands to save about $15 million per year in taxes. So his modest $45 million investment will pay for itself in just three years, after that, it's all profit. I'm not including extra profit he's making from things like Mar-a-lago and the DC Hotel from people looking to spend big money to curry favor or get close to the President.

As for Trump having a 50% approval rating, what polling agency did that poll? What prominent house effect are they known to have [[Democrat or Republican)? And does that number concur with literally every other approval rating poll taken at roughly the same time? I already know the answers to these questions, just curious if you do.

FYI, just a little civics lesson for you, the military CAN'T act in a law enforcement capacity on American soil. There's this little law called "Posse Comitatus", look it up. Sorry to burst your masturbatory bubble, but U.S. Army soldiers aren't going to be apprehending illegal immigrants on American soil at gunpoint. Best Trump can do is send the National Guard to provide "support functions" [[surveillance, logistics, transportation) to the Border Patrol, just like Bush and Obama both did.

[Richard]

^ he said troops,he never said the military.

The national guard is comprised of troops,which are army soldiers.

I think it is probably easier to just load them on ships and drop them off up in Canada,they will take them.

[aj3647]

^ he said troops,he never said the military.

The national guard is comprised of troops,which are army soldiers.

I think it is probably easier to just load them on ships and drop them off up in Canada,they will take them.

National Guard troops, if federalized, are subject to the same restrictions under Posse Comitatus as regular Army troops. If called up by the State governor under state authority, National Guard troops CAN legally act in a law enforcement capacity. However, they can only enforce state laws, not federal laws. Immigration laws are federal. There is no routine circumstance where National Guard troops [[who are not trained to be federal law enforcement agents) can act as federal law enforcement agents. The only way this could happen legally would be if Congress passes a law to allow that.

If Trump sends the National Guard to the border, all they can really do is post up with a pair of binoculars and call the Border Patrol if they see anyone. Or he could use National Guard helicopters to look for people crossing the border, and they can call the Border Patrol. But armed National Guard troops are not going to be arresting anyone on American soil for violating immigration laws.

[Richard]

So for each national guard person with a binoculars frees up one more border patrol agent with handcuffs.

So if 3 in 5 border patrol are tied up in surveillance that now puts 5 in 5 hands on.

Border patrol has the same excess to arms that the military has,it is the federal governments job to protect our borders through any means necessary,nobody had a problem giving up personal rights when it came to terrorists,why the whiners on this?

[oladub]

As for Trump having a 50% approval rating, what polling agency did that poll? What prominent house effect are they known to have [[Democrat or Republican)? And does that number concur with literally every other approval rating poll taken at roughly the same time? I already know the answers to these questions, just curious if you do.

FYI, just a little civics lesson for you, the military CAN'T act in a law enforcement capacity on American soil. There's this little law called "Posse Comitatus", look it up. Sorry to burst your masturbatory bubble, but U.S. Army soldiers aren't going to be apprehending illegal immigrants on American soil at gunpoint. Best Trump can do is send the National Guard to provide "support functions" [[surveillance, logistics, transportation) to the Border Patrol, just like Bush and Obama both did.

It was the Rasmussen polling agency and his rating has gone up another percent to 51% today. Rasmussen typically rates him higher than other polling companies but Rasmussen had Trump down to 39% approval last July. Rasmussen also tracked Obama. Trump has a higher rating than Obama at this point of their presidencies. Rasmussen predicted that Hillary would win 2% more of the popular vote and was correct. Why, which other poll to you prefer? What was its prediction?

I didn't claim that the military can "act in a law enforcement capacity on American soil". I wrote that "Trump plans to defend our borders with troops." There is a difference. I'm assuming you misread or chose to twist what I wrote.

Question: Since when can't our government provide for the common defense, define and punish thefts and felonies committed externally and offenses against the law of nations, make rules concerning captures on our borders and beyond, or call on the militia to execute the laws of the land and repel invasions?

Answer: since Obama.

Even states can go so far as to engage in war when invaded if there is no time for delay. To clarify, we are talking about a massive economic invasion rather than war but states can deal with border problems up to and including war until the feds arrive.