FY17 budget ... the great negotiator

[-hh]

Not a particularly glowing article title:

"Eight ways Trump got rolled in his first budget negotiation"

Which then highlights the following (comments in parens)

"-- Now that the language has posted, here are the eight most
notable areas Trump caved in his first big spending negotiation:

1. There are explicit restrictions to block the border wall.

(the 2006 'loophole' which was being used to try to
fast-track has been closed)

2. Non-defense domestic spending will go up, despite the
Trump team’s insistence he wouldn't let that happen.

3. Barack Obama’s cancer moonshot is generously funded.

(instead of NIH getting cut by $1.2B, they're getting a +$2B boost)

4. Trump fought to cut the EPA by a third. The final deal
trims its budget by just 1 percent, with no staff cuts.

(-$80M out of $8B)

5. He didn’t defund Planned Parenthood.

6. The president got less than half as much for the military
as he said was necessary.

(asked for $30B; got $12.5B ... option for +$2.5B if/when he
delivers a detailed plan on how to defeat the Islamic State)

7. Democrats say they forced Republicans to withdraw more
than 160 riders.

(poison pills, such as trying to kill the fiduciary rule)

and water down environmental regulations.

(plus the Justice Department was blocked from restricting
the dispensing of medical marijuana in states where it has
been legalized...interesting!)

8. To keep negotiations moving, the White House already
agreed last week to continue paying Obamacare subsidies."

(although since it is only for ~6 months, not clear if
this is enough to reduce market uncertainty for the
insurers who have to set rates IIRC this month for CY18).


<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/05/01/daily-202-eight-ways-trump-got-rolled-in-his-first-budget-negotiation/590687f2e9b69b3a72331f09/>


"Soon after the deal was reached last night, Chuck Schumer
and Nancy Pelosi quickly put out celebratory statements.
But McConnell and Paul Ryan did not."


-hh