The last days of Trump’s Presidency saw a lot of weird decisions, of which budget rescission is just one of them. As the year 2021 kicks in and Trump failed to overthrow the American mandate on January 6, even by the use of force, he decided to do as much damage as he could before his presidential term is over. During this, he asked Congress for a $27.4 billion spending cut as a move of budget rescission.
What is budget rescission, and how did Trump try to stop federal funding just before leaving office? We have compiled a list of the Frequently Asked Questions about the topic. Have a look.
What exactly is a budget rescission?
Budget rescission is a spending cut proposed by the president of the United States to cut the funding of different institutions or the different programs that have already been verified. This way, the president looks upon the programs’ financing once again after the original approval of the funding.
What is the recent reversal of budget rescission from Biden?
President Joe Biden wrote a letter to Congress to order them to withdraw the spending cuts proposed by Donald Trump during the last days of his presidency. This way, President Biden helped the flow of $27.4 billion into various government programs.
From which programs did Trump order the rescission, which Biden has now reversed?
In his letter to Congress, Trump explicitly asked the Congressional leadership to stop the funding of almost 73 programs. These programs included nearly all the cabinet-level agencies, including the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).
Not only this, but Trump also stopped funding renewable energy programs, vaccine deployment, the Peace Corps, National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center. Similarly, Trump also cut funding in foreign aid in his bid for an“America first” policy.
Why did Trump make this unexpected move just before leaving the White House?
The move from Trump to cut the spending was not unexpected at all. Even in 2018, Trump asked Congress to reduce the funding by $15.2 Billion.
However, the request was blocked by the Senate at that time. Even Republican Senators refused to stand by Trump, although he got the House majority by a 210-206 vote.
In December 2020, when Trump signed the omnibus spending bill, he signaled that he would cut down the funding of the “wasteful items.” So, all of this was in the cards, and it was very much expected that he would try to make such a decision just before leaving the oval office.
Why were the motives of Trump for initiating the spending cuts?
Trump remained skeptical about climate change and the other programs for which he cut off the spending. The budget rescission came as a political stunt rather than a practical move, as he knew that Biden would reverse all the budget cuts immediately after coming to the office.
So, it was just another blunder of Donald Trump, which he made in the aftermath of the Capitol Hill attack, knowing that it would not be passed by Congress.
What would Biden’s decision to reverse the budget rescission mean for the United States?
All the funding that Trump stopped will be released to the respective departments and programs immediately. This way, all the departments will be able to function properly.
Vaccine deployment will be rapid, and the climate change effect would be tackled following a proper strategy.
Budget rescission is a political move often used as a step to pressure the federal departments if they do not comply with the president.
If we look closer, we can see that Biden announced that he would re-enter the Paris Climate Accord after assuming the presidency, so Trump tried to defund the EPA.
Now, with all the funding reinstated, all federal programs are expected to work with their full potential to serve the best interests of the United States.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.