“Get rid of the fat” – Trump Tells Cabinet to Cut Budgets by 5%
In a cabinet meeting today (Wednesday, October 17th, 2018) President Donald Trump asked members of his cabinet to “get rid of the fat” by cutting at least 5% of the budget from their respective departments.
“If you can do more than that, we will be very happy,” says President Trump. “There are some people that can do substantially more than that.”
Trump referred to this cut as “the nickel plan.” This is a derivation of the penny plan, which proposes to cut 1% of spending every year. The President also suggested that this plan may continue next year as well.
These proposed cuts are part of a plan to balance the increase in spending by the U.S. Department of Defense. “It’ll probably be 700 billion dollars,” said President Trump.
The U.S. federal budget is determined by lawmakers, which means Trump’s nickel plan is more of a suggestion than an order. But the President still has leverage. He can veto proposed legislation, or replace members of his cabinet.
If the nickel plan is included in the next budget proposal, it would be implemented in the next fiscal year on October 1st, 2019.
About The Author:
Nathan A. Kreider is the founder of NAKhub Media and columnist at Being Libertarian. His articles have also appeared at the Foundation for Economic Education, The Lock Haven Express, and The Liberalists, as well as his own website, nkreider.com.
