Delaware senator responds to Trump’s budget proposal

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     (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

    (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

    Delaware Senator Chris Coons responded to President Trump’s recently released $1.15 trillion budget outline on Thursday morning.

    Trump’s budget proposes a $54 billion hike to the U.S. military, but slashes $54 billion to departments like the State Department, the Environmental Protection Agency as well as foreign aid. The President said his budget plan “puts America first.”

    However, Sen. Coons, D-Delaware, believes the proposal puts America at risk.

    “President Trump’s own Secretary of Defense, Secretary [Jim] Mattis, when he was a general said if you significantly cut funding to the State Department and foreign assistance you’ll have to give the military more bullets because it will make the world a more dangerous place,” said Coons, during an interview with CNN this morning from WHYY’s studios in Wilmington. 

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    Coons said the Dept. of Defense and the Dept. of State work hand in glove, adding that to dramatically increase spending on one while cutting funds to the other is unwise.

    “I think it shows an overreliance on the military and an underappreciation of the power and effectiveness of diplomacy,” Coons said.

    Coons is also worried about the deep cuts to the EPA and respective programs that help make sure the country’s air and waterways are clean.

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