Posted on March 23, 2017 by Christopher Barca in Queens Chronicle Queens Chronicle, By Christopher Barca President Trump’s 2018 federal budget recommendations, released last Thursday, include deep cuts to programs geared toward aiding low-income, urban, elderly and storm-ravaged citizens, sparking fear and fury across the city about what they would mean for the five boroughs. The signature aspect of the budget — titled “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again” — is a “vital” $54 billion increase in defense spending to “rebuild” the nation’s military, a promise Trump often made during his campaign. To offset that rise in funding, four departments — Energy, State, Agriculture and Labor — saw a proposed cut of 21 percent or greater, while 19 agencies face elimination.
