The White House budget proposal is debated by Sens. Nelson and Rubio
The $4.4 trillion budget that President Donald Trump has proposed is drawing plenty of mixed reviews from Florida’s legislative delegation in Washington. It is a budget that is heavy on the military spending and makes some very dramatic cuts in governmental services.
As you might expect Florida’s two members of the U.S. Senate are split on their view of if the Sunshine State will see any benefits from the White House proposal.
Republican Marco Rubio saw a few things he liked in the document. He released a statement Monday giving his backing to the Trump budget.
“America desperately needs to invest in our infrastructure. The administration has put forth an innovative approach as a starting point. We look forward to working with them to craft a plan that addresses our nation’s critical infrastructure needs in a fiscally responsible manner,” Rubio said on Monday.
“While it is Congress that funds the nation’s policy priorities, I am encouraged to see the President’s budget also support efforts to strengthen border security, combat the opioid epidemic, rebuild our military and improve health services for veterans,” Rubio added. “I will continue to review the details of this budget proposal for areas of common interest.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who is up for reelection this fall was not pleased with proposed cuts to NASA and the space program that has been a big part of the state of Florida for well over half a century. Add to that Nelson is a former astronaut and you might understand why he was less than pleased by the proposed budget cuts. He like Rubio released a statement on Monday.
“The administration’s budget for NASA is a nonstarter,” Nelson said. “If we’re ever going to get to Mars with humans on board and return them safely, then we need a larger funding increase for NASA. The proposal would also end support for the International Space Station in 2025 and make deep cuts to popular education and science programs. Turning off the lights and walking away from our sole outpost in space at a time when we’re pushing the frontiers of exploration makes no sense.”
For the record budgets submitted by presidents seldom get passed without major changes, they are often seen as just a template. That is likely the case in this budget proposal as it will see many changes along the way.