On May 23, 2017, President Trump delivered his first budget request to Congress. In his $4.1 trillion spending plan, he hopes to control spending and put the U.S. on a long-term path towards a balanced budget. Much of the savings projected by his budget comes from steep spending cuts, including areas important to WEI.

Many of the spending cuts were warily received by Congress. His spending cuts and policy proposals will be bitterly debated by Congress in the coming weeks and months. The revenue from strong projected growth will be contested as well. For FY 2018, Congress is constrained by spending cuts imposed by the 2011 Budget Control Act. Congress has since passed two subsequent budget deals to raise the spending caps. The most recent budget agreement raised discretionary spending by $50 billion in FY 2016 and $30 billion in FY 2017. Some in Congress hope to kick start talks for a new bipartisan budget framework to raise discretionary spending limits and avoid a spending stalemate in the coming months. Both parties will need to work together to pass spending bills this fall—the Republican-controlled congress cannot pass appropriations bills alone.

Click here for a detailed summary of some of the agencies and accounts that impact WEI and UW-Madison’s campus. It may be updated as additional materials are released. Please contact UW–Madison Federal Relations assistant director Cate Johnson should you have questions or if you would like additional information.