The Conservative Movement wholeheartedly supports President Trump’s 2018 budget proposal.
Any budget is a series of compromises, between what is ideal and what is achievable. Conservatives know that Rome wasn’t built — or burned — in a day. Nevertheless, the Conservative Movement rightly expected the Trump administration to start any budget negotiations closer to the ideal than any administration has been able to for decades.
And that is what it has done. The proposed budget is a major step in the right direction, even though it does not save a lot of money compared to the total budget. But even the savings it does achieve, one percent, just 1%, of the discretionary budget, is a major achievement. Most budgets increase spending. This one shrinks it.
Critics will cry foul: they will say the cuts are draconian. But it simply cannot be that the country cannot survive a 1 percent reduction in the discretionary budget. Families across America do that, and a lot more besides, every year. This budget will demonstrate that it is possible to cut spending without having the oceans begin to rise or the planet beginning to suffer.
And even though the budget is still high, how the money is saved is significant. It is saved by eliminating programs that have no constitutional justification, thereby returning the government of the country to its proper constitutional basis. That in itself is a major achievement and one that conservatives can build on in the future.
This budget eliminates all $148 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, all $148 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities, the $230 million Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the $445 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, including PBS and NPR. $445 million may not seem like a lot of money to some congressmen, but many Americans go their entire lives without seeing that kind of money.
And in addition, the budget completely eliminates the following agencies:
African Development Foundation
Appalachian Regional Commission
Chemical Safety Board
Corporation for National and Community Service
Delta Regional Authority
Denali Commission
Inter-American Foundation
U.S. Trade and Development Agency
Legal Services Corporation
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
Northern Border Regional Commission
Overseas Private Investment Corporation
U.S. Institute of Peace
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The conservative joke going around Washington these days is, “What do you call the elimination of 19 federal agencies?” You guessed it: “A beginning.”
This is a budget conservatives are happy to support enthusiastically.
| The Honorable Edwin Meese III Former Attorney General President Ronald Reagan |
The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop Chairman, Conservative Action Project Former White House Advisor, President Ronald Reagan |
| The Honorable Bob McEwen U.S. House of Representatives Former Member, Ohio |
William L. Walton Vice President Council for National Policy |
| The Honorable Colin A. Hanna President Let Freedom Ring, Inc. |
The Honorable David McIntosh President Club for Growth |
| The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr. Former Domestic Advisor President Ronald Reagan |
Cleta Mitchell, Esq. Conservative Attorney |
| Ed Corrigan Former Executive Director Senate Steering Committee |
Michael A. Needham Chief Executive Officer Heritage Action for America |
| Alfred S. Regnery Chairman Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund |
Neil Patel Co-Founder and Publisher The Daily Caller |
| The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell Chairman Constitutional Congress, Inc. |
Jenny Beth Martin Co-Founder and CEO Tea Party Patriots |
| The Honorable James C. Miller III Budget Director President Reagan (1985-1988) |
Charlie Cato Chairman Leading The Way PAC |
| Alan P. Dye Partner Webster, Chamberlain & Bean |
Kay R. Daly President Coalition for a Fair Judiciary |
| Ginni Thomas President Liberty Consulting |
James P. Backlin Vice President of Legislative Affairs Christian Coalition of America |
| Floyd Brown Chairman Western Center for Journalism |
Willes K. Lee President National Federation of Republican Assemblies |
| Dan Greenberg President Advance Arkansas Institute |
Gary L. Bauer President American Values |
| Adam Brandon President FreedomWorks |
Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D. Washington Bureau Chief Infowars.com |
| Christopher Malagisi President Young Conservatives Coalition |
Rick Scarborough Founder Vision America Action |
| Joseph A. Morris Partner Morris & De La Rosa |
Patrick Foose Director of Communications Life Issues Institute |
| David N. Bossie President Citizens United |
Heather R. Higgins President and CEO Independent Women’s Voice |
| Sabrina Schaeffer Executive Director Independent Women’s Forum |
Richard Manning President Americans for Limited Government |
| Haley E. Martin President The Martin Foundation |
Rod D. Martin Founder/CEO The Martin Organization, Inc. |
| Sherri R. Martin Executive Vice President The Martin Organization, Inc. |
Nicholas Stehle Campaign for the American Future |
| Evelio Silvera Campaign for the American Future |
Jerry Melvin President Florida Republican Assembly |
| Shawn A. Mitchell National Chaplain, National Federation of Republican Assemblies |
Grover Glenn Norquist President Americans for Tax Reform |
| Peter J. Thomas Chairman Americans for Constitutional Liberty |
Kenneth F. Boehm Chairman National Legal and Policy Center |
| Charlie Gerow Vice Chairman American Conservative Union |
Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D Board Chair Institute on Religion and Democracy and Board Executive Committee, World Congress of Families |
| Lou Cordia Cordia and Associates |
Judson Phillips Founder Tea Party Nation |
| L. Brent Bozell, III Founder and President Media Research Center |
Elaine Donnelly President Center for Military Readiness |
| The Honorable Ken Cuccinelli II President Senate Conservatives Fund |
Lisa Calvert Christian Speaker and Teacher Rabon-Calvert Interests |
| Robert K. Fischer Meeting Coordinator Conservatives of Faith |
Gayle Trotter President American Women’s Alliance |
| The Honorable Belden Bell Cochair Legacy Society Heritage Foundation |
William W. Pascoe, III Managing Partner Antietam Communications |
| Kevin D. Freeman Founder NSIC Institute |
Allen Hebert Chairman American-Chinese Fellowship of Houston |
| The Honorable Terrence Scanlon Retired President and Chairman Capital Research Center |
James L. Martin Chairman 60 Plus Association |
| Susan A. Carleson Support American Civil Rights Union |
Susan Walton Gore Founder Wyoming Liberty Group, Pillar of Law Institute |
| Eunie Smith President Eagle Forum |
Ron Robinson President Young America’s Foundation |
| Anne Schlafly Cori Chairman Eagle Forum |
The Honorable Mike Spence Founding President Conservative Republicans of California |
| Thomas A. Schatz President Citizens Against Government Waste |
Michael J. Bowen CEO Coalition for a Strong America |
| Lisa B. Nelson Chief Executive Officer The Jeffersonian Project |
Dee Hodges President Maryland Taxpayers Association |
| Sandy Rios Director of Governmental Affairs American Family Association |
The Honorable Michael R. Long State Chairman New York State Conservative Party |
| James C. Dobson Ph.D. Founder & President Family Talk |
Robert D. Thompson Former Administrator The Weyrich Lunch |
| Troy Newman President, Operation Rescue Co-Founder, Center for Medical Progress |
Bob Carlstrom President The Carlstrom Group, LLC |
| Dan Weber CEO Association of Mature American Citizens |
Bob Adams President Revive America PAC |
| Taylor Budowich Executive Director Tea Party Express |
Tim LeFever Chairman Capitol Resource Institute |
| Joseph R. Gregory President and CEO Gregory Mgt. Co. |
Richard H. Wright |
| Richard G. Lee President There’s Hope America, Atlanta, GA |
Marcia G. Taylor CEO Bennett Int. Group, Inc. |
| Michael K. Taylor Bennett Int. Group, Inc. |
The Honorable Martin W. Garrick President Admiral Property Company |
| Richard Scurry Co-Founder The Bible Literacy Project |
C. Preston Noell III President Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. |
| Lee A. Beaman Chief Executive Officer Beaman Automotive |
Raymond Thompson CEO Thompson Precision |
| Lew Uhler President National Tax Limitation Committee |
Richard A. Viguerie Chairman ConservativeHQ |
| Richard P. Bott, II Chairman/CEO Bott Radio Network |
Richard P. Bott, Sr. Founder Bott Radio Network |
| Gary A. Marx President Madison Strategies, LLC. |
Ted Baehr Chairman and CEO Movieguide® |
| Richard Falknor Publisher Blue Ridge Forum |
The Honorable Tom DeLay Former Majority Leader US House of Representatives |
| J. Keet Lewis, III Co-Founder and Managing Partner Lewis Group International |
Diana Banister President and Partner Shirley & Banister Public Affairs |
