The President’s plan to rebuild America

America has long been a Nation of builders, President Trump told the country January 30 in his first State of the Union Address.

“We built the Empire State Building in just 1 year—is it not a disgrace that it can now take 10 years just to get a permit approved for a simple road?”

He called on leaders of both parties in Congress to come together to deliver the safe, reliable, and modern infrastructure that Americans deserve.

(President Donald Trump rolls out his infrastructure plan Monday, which envisions $1.5 trillion in spending over a decade to rebuild roads and highways. The plan relies heavily on state and local government budgets to become a reality. Courtesy of The White House and YouTube. Posted on Feb. 12)

Today, he has outlined his legislative principles to accomplish just that:

• $200 billion in Federal funds to spur at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments with partners at the state, local, tribal, and private level
• New investments in rural America, which has been left behind for too long
• Decision-making authority will return to state and local governments
• Regulatory barriers that needlessly get in the way of infrastructure projects will be removed
• Permitting for infrastructure projects will be streamlined and shortened
• America’s workforce will be supported and strengthened

“We will build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways all across our land,” President Trump said.

“And we will do it with American heart, and American hands, and American grit.”

The President’s FY 2019 budget request proposes $39.3 billion for critical State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) efforts to advance peace and security, expand American prosperity and influence, and address global crises while making efficient use of taxpayer resources.

The budget request modernizes State Department and USAID diplomacy and development to advance a more secure and prosperous world by helping to support more stable and resilient societies that will lead their own development and, ultimately, no longer need foreign aid.

The budget request supports the President’s “America First” vision with a commitment to four key national priorities:

Protecting America’s Security at Home and Abroad:

• Sustaining Support for Efforts to Defeat ISIS and Other Violent Extremist Organizations:

  • Supporting efforts to defeat ISIS and violent extremist organizations while addressing the conditions that these groups seek to exploit, including poor governance, weak institutions, lack of economic opportunity, corruption, and persistent human rights abuses with $5.7 billion.
  • This includes continued support for security in Afghanistan and Iraq, and sustains protection of our personnel and facilities overseas as well as to combat disinformation as part of the effort to defeat ISIS.
  • Assistance also supports the needs of displaced religious minorities in the Middle East and North Africa.

• Upholding Commitments to Our Allies:

  • Supporting the recent 10-year Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Israel, this request provides $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing for Israel.
  • It also recognizes the critical U.S. strategic partnership with and support for Jordan by providing $1.3 billion in economic and security assistance.

• Prioritizing Programs that Counter Critical National Security Threats:

  • Leading international efforts with $127 million to prevent North Korea, Iran, and other states and terrorist actors from unlawfully acquiring weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, while strengthening the capacity of partner nations to do so as well.

• Protecting our Borders:

  • Supporting our border security and Consular service with $3.8 billion for fee-funded programs and personnel that secure our borders through enhanced visa vetting, preventing fraud, improving visa processes, and enabling the conduct of international business by facilitating legitimate foreign travel to and from the United States.

• Reducing Illegal Immigration:

  • Providing $1.1 billion for Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean to break the power of transnational criminal organizations and networks; help shut down illicit pathways for irregular migration and goods; and address insufficient economic opportunity, weak governance, and inadequate security, all of which drive irregular migration.

• Protecting U.S. Overseas Personnel and Facilities:

  • Providing $5.4 billion for the protection of our U.S. government personnel and facilities overseas, including security for the U.S. presence in Afghanistan and Iraq.
  • The Administration is also prioritizing funding for a U.S. Embassy facility in Jerusalem which will begin once design and construction plans are finalized.

Renewing America’s Competitive Advantage for Sustained Economic Growth and Job Creation:

• Strengthening Democratic Governance and Standing against Corruption:

  • Dedicating $1.4 billion in assistance to fight against corruption and support efforts that promote democratic governance principles, such as rule of law, transparency, and accountability.

• Mobilizing the Private Sector and Reforming U.S. Development-Finance:

  • Supporting activities that promote economic growth and engage the private-sector in developing nations to advance U.S. national-security interests; support development outcomes; and support U.S. companies, jobs, and exports.
  • This includes providing $56 million for programming at USAID in support of the proposed consolidated, reformed Development Finance Institution and $15 million in new trade capacity building efforts, which will better harness and incentivize private-sector financing.

• Expanding Domestic Resource Mobilization:

  • Providing $75 million via central funding and additional bilateral resources to equip and challenge countries to mobilize and manage their domestic public and private resources more effectively, leverage other available financing sources, and sustainably lead their own development.

• Addressing the Root Causes of Poverty and Hunger:

  • Providing $518 million for food security programs that advance agricultural development to improve economic growth, reduce malnutrition, and strengthen resilience to recurrent crises, leveraging private investment, donor, and host-country contributions.

Promoting American Leadership through Balanced Engagement:

• International Organizations:

  • Funding $2.3 billion for preserving strategic participation in multilateral fora to achieve outcomes favorable to the U.S. and its allies while reinforcing the expectation that we will continue to work with the international organizations including the UN to reduce costs, improve effectiveness, and more fairly share the funding burden.

• Leading in Global Health Programs:

  • Providing $6.7 billion to support U.S. leadership in advancing global health, including through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); the Global Fund to Combat AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; the President’s Malaria Initiative; and global health security activities while simultaneously supporting efforts to help partner nations build their own capacity.
  • With the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy now in place, the Budget includes investments in family planning and reproductive health, and supports women’s empowerment.

• Addressing Major Humanitarian Crises:

  • Maintaining U.S. leadership in shaping global humanitarian assistance by providing $6.4 billion, a 21 percent increase from the FY 2018 Budget request, to address complex crises, such as those occurring in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, South Sudan, and elsewhere, while also asking the rest of the world to increase their share and demanding improved performance by implementers to maximize the benefit for recipients of assistance.

• Pursuing a More Balanced U.S. Share of International Spending:

  • Setting the expectation that other donors will do their fair share to advance shared priorities, support economic growth and development worldwide, and address humanitarian crises, and holding international organizations accountable.

• Informing Foreign Opinion and Engaging Foreign Audiences:

  • Furthering U.S. foreign policy goals by providing $565 million for Public Diplomacy (PD) programs to inform foreign opinion. PD programs assist in countering misinformation about the U.S., its foreign policy and strengthen relationships between Americans and foreign publics.

Ensuring Effectiveness and Accountability to the American Taxpayer:

• Strengthening the Effective Management of our People, Programs, Information, and Capital Assets:

  • Improving business process and program design and aligning foreign assistance, policies, and resources with key strategic priorities as part of the Impact Initiative (formerly Redesign) in order to better advance American interests in a constantly changing world.

• Modernizing Information Technology:

  • Investing $150 million for modernizing the State Department’s information technology, including wireless and cloud-based services to provide our employees with greater mobility.

• Focusing on an Effective Workforce and Leadership:

  • Advancing leadership and modernization of the State Department and USAID workforce through the Impact Initiative.
  • Requesting $96.2 million for Impact initiatives to develop a more flexible workforce and pursue operational management efficiencies.

Department of State and USAID FY 2019 Budget Request

Today, President Trump requested $39.3 billion for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) budget.

This request upholds the President’s commitment, as outlined in the National Security Strategy and the State Department and USAID’s Joint Strategic Plan, to protect our security, rights, and values.

This budget focuses resources on national security at home and abroad, on economic development that contributes to the growth of our economy, and on renewed efforts to modernize the operations of both the State Department and USAID for greater effectiveness.

It requests the resources necessary to advance peace and security, and respond to global crises, while prioritizing the efficient use of taxpayer resources.

As we advance the President’s foreign policy priorities, we continue to promote the advancement of more stable and resilient societies that contribute to a secure and prosperous world.

For more information about the FY 2019 budget request, please visit www.state.gov/s/d/rm/c6112.htm.

(Hear President Donald J. Trump’s Weekly Address: 2/10/18. Courtesy of the White House and YouTube. Posted on Feb 11, 2018)

Department of Justice FY 2019 Budget Request

President’s Request Invests in Department of Justice Criminal Justice Priorities, Including Protecting National Security, Supporting Law Enforcement, Enforcing Immigration Laws, and Protecting our Citizens from Violent Crime and the Scourge of the Opioid Epidemic.

President Trump’s FY 2019 Budget proposal totals $28 billion for the Department of Justice to support federal law enforcement and criminal justice priorities of our state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners.

The request represents a comprehensive investment in the Justice mission and includes increases in funding for strengthening security efforts to reduce violent crime, enforce the nation’s immigration laws, combat the opioid epidemic, and continues its commitment to national security.

“The Department of Justice has the noble task of keeping the American people safe from drugs, gangs, and terrorists, and this budget proposal reflects our commitment to do just that,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“President Trump has ordered us to accomplish these goals by supporting state and local law enforcement, dismantling transnational organized crime, and working to bring down crime rates.”

“For the last year, we have aggressively carried out that agenda and have already seen major successes that benefit the American people. Congress should invest in these efforts—because all of us benefit from a safer America.”

The Department of Justice’s areas of investment include:

• +$295 million in program enhancements and transfers to fight the opioid crisis and support law enforcement safety.  Additional resources will be devoted to combatting transnational criminal organizations, known for supplying illicit substances to the United States.
• +$65.9 million in immigration related program enhancements to enhance border security and immigration enforcement.  These investments will also improve our ability to conduct immigration hearings to help combat illegal immigration.
• +$109.2 million to strengthen federal law enforcement’s ability to reduce violent crime.
• +$10 million for BOP’s apprentice program giving inmates the necessary skills for successful post incarceration employment.
• +$13 million for the Criminal Division to support Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) reform.
• $3.9 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding for federal grants to state, local, and tribal law enforcement and victims of crime, to ensure greater safety for law enforcement personnel and the people they serve.
  • Critical programs aimed at protecting the life and safety of state and local law enforcement personnel, including the Public Safety Partnership Program and the Project Safe Neighborhood Program, demonstrate our continuing commitment to supporting state, local, and tribal law enforcement.

For more information, view the FY 2019 Budget and Performance Summary at https://www.justice.gov/doj/fy-2019-budget-and-performance-summary.

(President Trump Hosts a Law Enforcement Roundtable on MS-13. Courtesy of the White House and YouTube. Posted on Feb 6, 2018)

Combating Violent Crime

Protecting the American people from violent crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice. Unfortunately, in recent years, crime has been on the rise in too many places across the country.

FBI statistics show that, in 2015 and 2016, the United States experienced the largest increases in violent crime in a quarter-century.

Over those two years, violent crime increased by nearly 7%. Robberies, assaults, and rapes all increased, and murder increased by a shocking 20%.

In 2017, the Department made some great strides, including the launch of the enhanced Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The Department brought cases against the greatest number of violent criminals in at least 25 years—since the Department began tracking a “violent crime” category.

Although preliminary numbers for 2017 show a decrease, violent crime rates are still excessively high.

The FY 2019 budget requests $109.2 million in program enhancements to reduce violent crime and combat transnational criminal organizations.

These resources will enable the Department to dismantle the worst criminal organizations, target the most violent offenders, and protect the public. 

For more information, view the Combating Violent Crime Fact Sheet at https://www.justice.gov/doj/fy-2019-budget-fact-sheets.

Enforce Immigration Laws

The FY 2019 President’s Budget strengthens the Nation’s security through stronger enforcement of the Nation’s immigration laws.

The Department is requesting $65.9 million in immigration-related program enhancements for FY 2019, which will enhance border security and immigration enforcement.

These investments will also improve our ability to conduct immigration hearings to help combat illegal immigration to the United States by expanding capacity, improving efficiency, and removing impediments to the timely administration of justice.

This budget supports the Department’s efforts, along with our partners at the Department of Homeland Security, to fix our immigration system.

For more information, view the Enforce Immigration Laws Fact Sheet at https://www.justice.gov/doj/fy-2019-budget-fact-sheets.

Drug Enforcement and the Opioid Crisis

The United States is in the midst of the deadliest drug epidemic in American history.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 63,600 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016, a 21% increase from the previous year.

Over 42,200, or approximately two-thirds, of these overdose deaths were caused by heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioids.

The President declared this scourge a National Public Health Emergency in October 2017, and the Department remains committed to doing its part to protect the American people from the impact of drugs and drug-related crime nationwide.

(In an address at the White House, President Trump directed the Department of Health and Human Services to declare the national opioid crisis a public health emergency. Courtesy of TIME and YouTube. Posted on  Oct 26, 2017)

The FY 2019 budget requests $295 million in program enhancements and transfers to combat the opioid crisis and bolster drug enforcement efforts.

These resources will enable the Department to target those drug trafficking organizations most responsible for the opioid epidemic and drug-related violence in our communities, as well as ensure the life and safety of first responders who are on the front lines protecting the American people.

For more information, view the Drug Enforcement and the Opioid Crisis Fact Sheet at https://www.justice.gov/doj/fy-2019-budget-fact-sheets.

State, Local, and Tribal Assistance

The Justice Department is committed to reducing violent crime and addressing the opioid epidemic.

Federal law enforcement officers constitute only 15% of the total number of law enforcement officers nationwide; therefore, 85% of the officer support relies upon strong partnership with state and local law enforcement.

The Department supports its partners in state and local law enforcement, who have critical intelligence about violent crime in their communities, and whose actions are crucial in the fight against violent crime and the opioid epidemic.

The FY 2019 Budget continues its commitment to state, local and tribal law enforcement by investing approximately $3.9 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding in programs to assist them.

Funding has been prioritized to meet the most pressing law enforcement concerns – violent crime and opioid abuse – and to help the victims of crime.

For more information, view the State, Local and Tribal Assistance Fact Sheet at https://www.justice.gov/doj/fy-2019-budget-fact-sheets.

Restructuring Initiatives

The President’s Administration is committed to establishing a smaller, leaner federal government that reduces, both, bureaucracy and costs to the American taxpayer.

Since 2017, the Department of Justice has undertaking efforts to refocus resources and turn our efforts back to our core mission.

(President Trump made remarks before signing an executive order to reorganize the executive branch. Courtesy of the Donald Trump Speeches & Press Conference and YouTube. Posted on Mar 13, 2017)

To support the President’s Executive Order 13781 on reorganizing the Executive Branch, the Department of Justice has begun taking steps to streamline itself and to save taxpayer dollars.

As part of the FY 2019 President’s Budget, the Department is proposing a number of initiatives to achieve savings, to reduce the size of government, and maximize agency performance.

For more information, view the Restructuring Initiative Fact Sheet at https://www.justice.gov/doj/fy-2019-budget-fact-sheets.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar issued the following statement today on President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2019 Budget:

“The President’s budget makes investments and reforms that are vital to making our health and human services programs work for Americans and to sustaining them for future generations.”

“In particular, it supports our four priorities here at HHS: addressing the opioid crisis, bringing down the high price of prescription drugs, increasing the affordability and accessibility of health insurance, and improving Medicare in ways that push our health system toward paying for value rather than volume.”

“This budget supports the hard work the men and women of HHS are already doing toward these goals.”

“In particular, the budget’s efforts to reduce the high cost of prescription drugs, especially for America’s seniors, are a reflection of President Trump’s deep commitment to addressing this important issue.”

To learn more, go to https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy-2019-budget-in-brief.pdf.