Last week, President Donald Trump's Administration released a budget plan for the 2018 Fiscal Year, including massive cuts on arts, science and some federal programs assisting the poor community.

Trump's first budget named ''America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again'' offers some radical shifts for government's spending on defence by rising to $54 billion for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force even though the budget plan does not make a clear explanation where the new $54 billion would go, according to Washington Post.

Besides that, Trump's new budget eliminates several federal programs serving to low-income American families or other minorities. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program was spending more than $3 billion annually to those people effected by the harsh climate conditions in winters. The budget also blocks the Community Development Block Grant program providing $3 billion fund for targeted projects -these projects include community development, affordable housing and homelessness programs. 

President Trump's new budget majorly attacks Obama's strategic investment plans for climate change, which is one part of the U.S. commitment to the Paris climate agreement. Trump's new proposal applies to eliminate payments to the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund as well.

''The administration’s budget isn’t going to be the budget,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). ''We do the budget here. The administration makes recommendations, but Congress does budgets.''

The most striking thing is that Trump's 53-page budget plan doesn't include $500 billion infrastructure proposal as he mentioned in his election campaigns. Trump's proposed budget plan eliminates the Transportation Department program funding nearly $500 million road projects. The new budget does not include new funding or a tax mechanism for Trump’s infrastructure program.

''This budget represents a president who is beholden to nobody but the voters,'' said White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney. 

''He is following through on his promises. We did not consult with special interests on how to write this budget. We did not consult with lobbyists on how to write this budget. The president’s team wrote this budget and that’s what you’ll see in the numbers.''

After the budget revealed, the The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has issued a statement responding Trump's new budget plan for the Fiscal Year 2018. Read AIA President Thomas Vonier's statement below:

"This budget includes many cuts that will have severe long-term ramifications for our communities and economy. It does away with programs that foster a cleaner environment and strong neighborhoods and it eliminates programs with a proven track record of job creation in the design and construction industry.

"We are concerned about a proposed 31 percent cut in the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Within EPA alone, 50 programs and 3,200 positions would be eliminated. Future federal support for the National Endowment for the Arts, which provides grants to architecture programs and conferences sponsored by the AIA, is also being cut.

"The Federal government plays a vital role in promoting community development, performing research into sustainable and high-performing building technologies and techniques, and helping states and cities address congestion and sprawl through innovative grant programs. Drastic cuts to these initiatives impair the work that architecture firms do in our communities.

"We are ready to protect investments that affect the work we do on behalf of our clients. In fact, almost 800 design and construction businesses Thursday sent a letter coordinated by the AIA to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, calling for the continuation of important programs. And we will echo these calls across all agencies for all of the programs vital to our work.

"Federal budgets always require making tough choices, and wasteful or ineffective programs should be ended. But this budget's short-term cuts to programs that work will end up costing us much more in the long-term.

"As the budget process continues, we urge the Administration to seek our guidance as leading experts in design and construction, before cutting the budget in ways that will hurt our communities." 

Previously, the AIA also shared its ''deep concerns'' on Trump’s travel restrictions. In addition to these, American Architect made an urgent call for Donald Trump to take an immediate action on climate change in an open letter, signed by more than 250 American International Architecture firms. 

Top image: Donald Trump, courtesy of Wikipedia

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