The highlight in Washington this week is the release of the Trump Administration's budget. The budget proposes $4.1 trillion in spending, a number comparable to the spending in President Obama's proposed budget last year. However, President Trump's budget would represent a stark departure from current levels of spending in many specific areas.
Several agencies would see large reductions in spending. The Department of State's budget would be reduced by just over 29%. The Environmental Protection Agency would similarly be reduced by over 31%. Other agencies would be cut by smaller, though still significant percentages. The Department of Transportation would lose approximately 13% of its funding, a proposal which some argued was at odds with then-candidate Trump's pledge to rebuild American infrastructure.
Not all agencies would lose funding, however. The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs would receive increases of approximately 6%, 10%, and 6%, respectively.
In addition to budget-related news, there were several important developments in Washington this week. The U.S. International Trade Commission announced that it would hear a case by Suniva, Inc., arguing for tariffs on certain solar panel components. The House of Representatives passed H.R. 953, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2017, which would eliminate the need to obtain a Clean Water Act permit from the EPA before applying certain pesticides.
