Washington, DC – The Trump Administration released its proposed budget priorities for fiscal year 2020 yesterday. The budget includes $750 billion for national defense, $18.2 billion for Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), and $8.8 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which includes $5.7 billion for a border wall, $192 million to hire 750 Border Patrol agents, and $314 million to hire an additional 1,000 ICE officers.
In contrast, the president threatens the health care of millions by once again threatening the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, in addition to proposed cuts to food stamps, $2 trillion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, a $26 billion cut to Social Security programs, and a 12% reduction in Department of Education funding. The president also hopes to slash funding for Federal TRIO programs, which support low-income students in preparing and enrolling in college, as well as eliminate interest rate subsidies on some federal student loans, public service loan forgiveness, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, making college even less accessible for many communities in need. Additionally, the president proposes a $7.2 billion allocation for the entire US Census Bureau, which advocates have expressed is sorely inadequate for an accurate count of all communities in 2020.
“The president’s budget priorities for fiscal year 2020 once again sends the message that our communities and our families do not matter to him and his administration,” said Quyen Dinh, executive director of SEARAC. “While Southeast Asian Americans continue to face systemic barriers to educational opportunities, challenges to accessible quality health care, staggering poverty and unemployment rates, and record high threats of detention and deportation, this president wants to cut investments to programs that alleviate some of these challenges.”
“Increased funding for the expansion of our detention and deportation systems and the militarization of our borders, while cutting investments to programs that promote education equity, health justice, and decreased poverty for our communities is unconscionable,” Dinh continued. “We call on Congress to take bold actions to cut significant funding from ICE and CBP and reallocate those funds into ensuring an accurate census count, strengthening social programs for the poor, and expanding education access and opportunity for students in our communities.”
