If you thought the impending inauguration would have politicians cooling their heels, think again. According to Mic and The Hill, President-elect Donald Trump plans to cut approximately 25 of “the Department of Justice’s violence against women grant programs.”
Other programs being sliced and diced include the Departments of Commerce and Energy and Transportation. On the other hand, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities are slated to be completely swept aside.
While cutting or slimming these programs would save the U.S. federal government about $10.5 trillion, those savings would mean the Department of Justice (DoJ) could not provide money to prevent violence against women.
The DoJ’s Office on Violence Against Women oversees about 25 different grant programs. These programs, then, distribute funds to various organizations that help prevent sexual assault, domestic violence, and dating violence.
Their most recent site, “Safer Families, Safer Communities,” backs the Supreme Court’s June ruling, which states that anyone convicted of domestic violence cannot own firearms.
The office “awarded $9.85 million in funds to investigate gender bias in policing, and in September, distributed $25 million to addressing campus sexual assault.”
But helping half of the U.S. population apparently pales in comparison to saving a few trillion dollars.
Russ Vought and John Gray, who initially worked with Vice President-elect Mike Pence, have been the “architects” behind this new Trumpventure. A 175 to 200 page proposal is slated to be released within the first 45 days of Trump’s presidency.
In the meantime, Trump plans to appoint Representative Mick Mulvaney as head of the Office of Management and Budget. However, Mulvaney has yet to voice his opinion about the proposed cuts.
“[Rep. Mick Mulvaney] wants to make significant, fundamental changes to the structure of the president’s budget, and I expect him to do that with Vought and Gray putting the meat on the bones,” a source told The Hill.
Buckle up, buttercups! Tomorrow’s coming fast.
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