The modern fight for fiscal responsibility has been going on for over two decades.  However, after George W. Bush began spending us into oblivion the urgency increased rapidly; culminating in the uprising in 2008/2009 known as the Tea Party.
The past decade brought us: Bank-Bailouts(TARP,) Auto-Bailouts, Stimulus (ARRA) spending, Omnibus spending, Porkulous bills, Debt Ceiling increases, Continuing Resolutions, the FED buying debt (QE1, QE2), and beyond.

Finally, frustratingly, exhaustively… we arrive in 2017 and for the first time in modern presidential history we have a president proposing to curb the size, scope, scale and cost of government.
The Washington DC UniParty will fight back hard against any curtailment, so here’s some perspective for the upcoming battle:

• The last federal budget was signed into law in September 2007, for fiscal year 2008, by George W. Bush.
• It has been over a decade since the Federal Government operated with a budgetary law guiding spending.
• Because of the two previous points – Over two-thirds of Republican representatives, and over 50% of all reps in the House and Senate, have never held office during a year with a federal budget.
• Let that sink in.

Here’s the top-line overview of President Trump’s budget proposal by department: (more…)

AMERICA FIRST

Beginning a New Chapter of American Greatness

A MESSAGE TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: The American people elected me to fight for their priorities in Washington, D.C. and deliver on my promise to protect our Nation.
I fully intend to keep that promise.
One of the most important ways the Federal Government sets priorities is through the Budget of the United States. Accordingly, I submit to the Congress this Budget Blueprint to reprioritize Federal spending so that it advances the safety and security of the American people.
Our aim is to meet the simple, but crucial demand of our citizens—a Government that puts the needs of its own people first.
When we do that, we will set free the dreams of every American, and we will begin a new chapter of American greatness. A budget that puts America first must make the safety of our people its number one priority— because without safety, there can be no prosperity.
That is why I have instructed my Budget Director, Mick Mulvaney, to craft a budget that emphasizes national security and public safety. That work is reflected in this Budget Blueprint. (more…)

There are articles that are funny in their presentation, and then there are articles that are hilariously funny in their apoplectic protestations.  CNN writes a lengthy article about the upcoming President Trump budget.  The headline:

“Trump’s plan to dismember government“

Washington (CNN) – President Donald Trump plans to dismember government one dollar at a time.
His first budget — expected to be unveiled later this week — will mark Trump’s most significant attempt yet to remold national life and the relationship between federal and state power.
It would codify an assault on regulatory regimes over the environment, business and education bequeathed by former President Barack Obama, and attempt to halt decades of steadily growing government reach. (read more)

And, and… they say this like it’s a bad thing. (more…)

The Director of President Trump’s Office of Management and Budgets (OMB) Mick Mulvaney discusses the ongoing budgetary priorities of President Trump and the intertwined larger policy objectives – with the newest spokesperson for Grecian men’s haircare formula Jake Tapper.

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Larger things considered, Mulvaney has always been an odd duck selection.  However, perhaps President Trump knew something we didn’t.  What better way to coordinate a budget than to use the same people who allowed a willfully-blind decade of financial usurpation, only this time holding them accountable to a corrective path.  Leverage is, if they fail, their prior activity can always be exposed.
Heck, there’s growing evidence President Trump might just be pulling off an epic reverse Castellano’s maneuver.  After all, Paul Ryan was the former Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, and current Chair Kevin Brady has been a key focus of President Trump.  Hmmm…
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Representative Jim Jordan lays out a forceful case to destroy the RyanCare healthcare proposal.  Jordan makes a lot of good points; however, the unnerving aspect is Jordan’s response to the long-term ramifications of blowing up the Senate process:  “I don’t care” if we lose elections and end up with single-payer healthcare.
Jim Jordan is scheduled to meet again with President Trump this coming Tuesday.

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Earlier on Fox Business News, House Majority Whip, Representative Steve Scalise, defended the current three-step proposal and extended the conversation into the budget ramifications and the Trump tax reform proposal.
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As more people begin seeing through the fog of political “talking points”, the next response from those suffering from battered conservative syndrome is to say: well, do nothing, and allow ObamaCare to simply self-destruct.
Unfortunately, this is not an option.  At least it’s not a reasonable option.  To understand how battered conservatives are being lead around, used and abused, it is very important to understand the abusers.  There are many.

Last week Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin informed congress it will soon be necessary to raise the debt ceiling.   Immediately, crony-constitutional conservative types, like many who assemble in the House Freedom Caucus, shouted “no way”; apparently, according to their pearl-clutching political position – it unnerves their fiscally conservative sensibilities.
Interesting.
On October 21st, 2015, the Freedom Caucus itself backed Paul Ryan for Speaker of the House of Representatives. (LINK)  A week later, October 28th, 2015, members of the same Freedom Caucus voted to approve a $2+ trillion dollar Omnibus spending bill, a massive continuing resolution, and removed the debt ceiling restrictions (link).  Two days later, October 30th, 2015, at 3:00am in the morning, the Omnibus CR bill passed the Senate (link).
This was yet another year without a federal budget, and a specific decision to fund all of Obama’s spending priorities for 2015 and 2016.  (more…)

It’s obvious the financial interests are pouring in money to the R.A.T groups right now in the fight over ObamaCare Repeal and/or Replace.   Boy howdy are they all fibbing as they fling their poo at each other.  Forget the Democrats in this discussion.  For the sake of this analysis we only look at the right side of the UniParty; the Republican side.

There are two financial special interest groups within the Republican fight on ObamaCare. Two groups within the BIG CLUB.  Essentially, two swamp R.A.T factions:
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Get ready folks, we are going to hear more parseltongue and fake news catch phrases in the next several weeks and months surrounding the federal budget, it already began today.
As we have discussed numerous times, President Trump is going to propose a $10 trillion spending cut over ten years – or $1 trillion per year.  This is entirely reasonable considering the scale and scope of government.

Baseline for understanding – The entire U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is roughly $20 trillion.  The total of all current income taxes is roughly $4 trillion, or 1/5th of GDP.
President Trump’s economic plan is predicting an earnest rate of economic growth of 4%.  We feel this is the minimal achievable in FY 2018, but all projections say at least 4% GDP growth is anticipated.  Four percent of growth equals an additional $1 trillion added to GDP.  The tax revenue from the GDP growth is $200 billion/per year (1/5th of $1 trillion). Or $2 trillion over the 10-year projection.
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This is a Sunday discussion that’s more important than the traditional Sunday “blather”.  Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin appears on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartriomo to discuss President Trump economics.
Rejoice all ye econ and political geeks. Massive amounts of wholesome insight within the interview as Secretary Mnuchin discusses the budget, budgetary priorities, and yes, budgetary “goals” to include entitlement priority retention.   Mnuchin also discusses regulatory reform, financial reform the federal reserve.

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Just like General Kelly (DHS), General Mattis (DoD) and T-Rex (DoS), Steve Mnuchin at treasury is exactly the right guy for this intensely consequential moment in time.  I shall frame the first $1 bill I discover with his signature.
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No single aspect to the President Trump policy agenda will more specifically, and consequentially, impact the swamp draining process than the creation of a prioritized federal budget.
The last federal budget was signed into law in September 2007 (for fiscal year 2008) by President George W. Bush.  As a strategic political maneuver, since ’08 every aspect of federal spending has been by the vehicles of baseline budgeting, continuing resolution, omnibus spending bills and raises in the debt ceiling.  Our nation has been through almost a decade without a federal budget.

In December of 2015 Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and a republican controlled congress eliminated the debt ceiling in a massive $2+ trillion Omnibus spending bill that carried and authorized federal spending through to April 1st of this year.
Fiscally, their decision highlighted how the DC UniParty operate.  The 2015 decision by Ryan/McConnell was the final sunlight needed to prove beyond any question that Republicans never held any intention to reduce the size, scope and reach of government.
President Donald Trump has appointed, and the Senate has confirmed, Mick Mulvaney as OMB Director.  The Office of Management and Budget actually creates the White House budget proposal based on the policy and instruction of the President.
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