2018 Tax Bill Impact on a Middle Class Family

Frankly I don't ever jump up and down with appreciation when Republican's crow about tax breaks. There's more to consider than just redistribution. And just to remind people who might care. See below.

Quote:

President Trump's fiscal 2018 budget proposal would completely eliminate 66 federal programs, for a savings of $26.7 billion.
Some of the programs would receive funding for 2018 as part of a phasing-out plan.
Here are the programs the administration wants on the chopping block.

Agriculture Department — $855 million
· McGovern-Dole International Food for Education
· Rural Business-Cooperative Service
· Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program Account
· Single Family Housing Direct Loans

Commerce Department — $633 million
· Economic Development Administration
· Manufacturing Extension Partnership
· Minority Business Development Agency
· National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Grants and Education

Education Department — $4.976 billion
· 21st Century Community Learning Centers
· Comprehensive Literacy Development Grants
· Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
· Impact Aid Payments for Federal Property
· International Education
· Strengthening Institutions
· Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants
· Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants
· Teacher Quality Partnership

Energy Department — $398 million
· Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy
· Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program and Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program
· Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility

Health and Human Services — $4.834 billion
· Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
· Community Services Block Grant
· Health Professions and Nursing Training Programs
· Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Homeland Security — $235 million
· Flood Hazard Mapping and Risk Analysis Program
· Transportation Security Administration Law Enforcement Grants

Housing and Urban Development — $4.123 billion
· Choice Neighborhoods
· Community Development Block
· HOME Investment Partnerships Program
· Self-Help and Assisted Homeownership Opportunity Program Account

Interior Department — $122 million
· Abandoned Mine Land Grants
· Heritage Partnership Program
· National Wildlife Refuge Fund

Justice Department — $210 million
· State Criminal Alien Assistance Program

Labor Department — $527 million
· Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Training
· OSHA Training Grants
· Senior Community Service Employment Program

State Department and USAID — $4.256 billion
· Development Assistance
Earmarked Appropriations for Non-Profit Organizations
· The Asia Foundation
· East-West Center
· P.L. 480 Title II Food Aid

State Department, USAID, and Treasury Department — $1.59 billion
· Green Climate Fund and Global Climate Change Initiative

Transportation Department — $499 million
· National Infrastructure Investments (TIGER)

Treasury Department — $43 million
· Global Agriculture and Food Security Program

Environmental Protection Agency — $493 million
· Energy Star and Voluntary Climate Programs
· Geographic Programs

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — $269 million
· Five Earth Science Missions
· Office of Education

Other Independent Agencies — $2.683 billion
· Chemical Safety Board
· Corporation for National and Community Service
· Corporation for Public Broadcasting
· Institute of Museum and Library Services
International Development Foundations
· African Development Foundation
· Inter-American Foundation
· Legal Services Corporation
· National Endowment for the Arts
· National Endowment for the Humanities
· Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
· Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Regional Commissions
· Appalachian Regional Commission
· Delta Regional Authority
· Denali Commission
· Northern Border Regional Commission
· U.S. Institute of Peace
· U.S. Trade and Development Agency
· Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/334768-here-are-the-66-programs-eliminated-in-trumps-budget

Quote: rxwine

Frankly I don't ever jump up and down with appreciation when Republican's crow about tax breaks. There's more to consider than just redistribution. And just to remind people who might care. See below.

Good list, about time we phase out some programs.

Quote: AZDuffman

Good list, about time we phase out some programs.

Why not just shut down the whole government and let us fend for ourselves

Quote: darkoz

Why not just shut down the whole government and let us fend for ourselves

If you want to talk silly go right ahead. The reality is we could easily clip 5-10% of these programs and nobody except those getting checks would notice. If I had my way, every program would have a sunset provision. Every 5 years, 10 at most, every program would have to go before Congress and be reauthorized, then POTUS has to agree, same as a new law.

That would break the inertia. Programs stay because nobody wants the effort of killing them. With a sunset law, they would be debated and discussed, then hopefully many killed.

Quote: Paradigm

You can confirm this by reading any media report on your specialty. Just ask BBB if the media gets anywhere close to the truth on Air Traffic control matters. I bet you a lot in your area of expertise that when you hear a report on your favorite news source, they just don't quite have it right. So know that about every story you hear...it may be close, but likely it isn't really what the truth or hard facts would tell you if you were an expert in the field and knew the whole truth.

I appreciate your whole post (and entire thread) here Paradigm, but I wanted to highlight this paragraph in particular. In fact, half way through the post, I was going to reply with this very thought. But then you said it, and probably with more eloquence.

I have to laugh whenever the news media talk about a subject of which I have detailed knowledge. You speak the truth; while they may get close to getting it right sometimes (though certainly not always), they never get all of the details correct. The result is a story that is sometimes misleading to the general public. And this is true even from my preferred news sources.

If they don't get these stories right, I can't imagine that the get all the other stories 100% correct.