Trump proposes stiff domestic spending cuts, boost in defense money in fiscal 2020 budget

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump presented to Congress on Monday a budget proposal for fiscal year 2020 that contained stiff spending cuts across non-defense federal agencies, and a hike in defense money.

According to the 4.7-trillion-U.S.-dollar budget proposal, the Trump administration plans to cut domestic spending by 5 percent over the next year, or a nearly 30-billion-dollar reduction, involving programs on education, health care and environment protection, among others.

The budget blueprint proposes a 2.7-trillion-dollar spending cuts over the next decade, including 1.9 trillion dollars in cuts to mandatory programs, a senior administration official told a briefing on Monday. The official said the budget "will have more reductions in spending than any president in history has even proposed."

The budget plan foresees a 1.1-trillion-dollar deficit in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and a 1-trillion-dollar deficit in 2022. The administration predicts that the United States will return to budget balance in 2034.

The budget roadmap, designed for fiscal year 2020 that starts on Oct. 1, would increase defense spending by nearly 5 percent to 750 billion dollars from 716 billion in fiscal year 2019.

It also seeks 8.6 billion dollars for constructing additional sections of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico -- 5 billion dollars in funding for the Department of Homeland Security and 3.6 billion dollars for the Department of Defense's military construction fund. Enditem