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Trump Budget To Slash Social Spending

The real national emergency is not at the border. CNN: "Unlike Donald Trump's manufactured crisis and his vanity wall at the Mexico border, severe income inequality and economic greed are true national emergencies. Still, the President plans to ask for $8.6 billion for the wall and a 5% cut across federal agencies -- except for defense -- in his 2020 fiscal budget. This comes as Trump and the Republicans are waging a war against socialism as a 2020 campaign strategy, which goes against the needs of the millions of Americans who rely on government assistance to help meet their basic needs. In yet another example of how this administration and its supporters continue to ostracize those in need, two of Trump's children took it upon themselves to talk about something they seem to have virtually no experience in: earning things. During an interview on Fox News, Ivanka Trump, when asked about the concept of 'a job with a family-sustaining wage' in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal, said: 'I don't think most Americans, in their heart, want to be given something. I've spent a lot of time traveling around this country over the last four years. People want to work for what they get. So, I think this idea of a guaranteed minimum is not something most people want. They want the ability to be able to secure a job.'"

AOC Says U.S. Jobless 'Left To Die'

Ocasio-Cortez: In US, 'if you don't have a job, you are left to die'. The Hill: "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Saturday that in the United States, 'if you don’t have a job, you are left to die.' Ocasio-Cortez, who made the remark at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, added that 'we should not be haunted by' the possibility of automated workers replacing jobs, according to The Verge. 'We should be excited by that. But the reason we’re not excited by it is because we live in a society where if you don’t have a job, you are left to die. And that is, at its core, our problem,' added the lawmaker, whose Green New Deal proposal includes a federal jobs guarantee. Ocasio-Cortez also said during her interview that automation could allow for more time to focus on art, invention, the sciences and "enjoying the world that we live in.' 'Not all creativity needs to be bonded by wage,' she said. Ocasio-Cortez describes herself as a democratic socialist. She has urged the Democratic party to consider progressive policies and proposed the Green New Deal resolution, which suggests aiming for zero carbon emissions in a decade. The resolution also aims 'to create millions of good, high-wage jobs in the United States.'"

Fed Chair Says Opioid Crisis Major Drag On Economy

Fed Chairman Powell on the effects of the opioid crisis on the economy. CBS: "In comments on CBS's 60 Minutes, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the opioid crisis, which disproportionately affects adults in the prime of their working life, has forced millions out of the labor force and led the United States to have a lower labor force participation rate than almost every other advanced country."

Trump Wants $8.6b More For Border Wall

Trump to make $8.6 billion wall demand, triggering new standoff with Congress. CBS: "In a move that will likely lead to another tense standoff with congressional Democrats, President Trump is expected to request $8.6 billion in additional funds for the construction of his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a senior administration official told CBS News. In its annual budget proposal to Congress, to officially be unveiled Monday, the White House will seek congressional approval of $5 billion in funding for Department of Homeland Security efforts designed to build sections of the wall, as well as $3.6 billion funds for Department of Defense construction projects along the border, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the budget had not yet been made public."

HHS To Take $386m From Health To Pay For Child Detention

Trump to divert up to $385 million from crucial health programs to pay for migrant child detention. Truthout: "Alzheimer’s patients, lower-income preschool children, and HIV and cancer patients are among the Americans whose needs may go unmet so that the Trump administration can afford to detain thousands of migrant children. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar told Congress this week that he plans to divert $385 million from numerous healthcare programs to pay for detention centers across the country where more than 15,000 young undocumented immigrants are currently being held. About $286 million will be taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and HHS’s programs for children and families, according to The Hill. Programs including HIV prevention and Head Start are expected to be affected. 'The Trump administration is once again robbing vital health and human services initiatives in order to pay for their failed policies,' said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) Friday. DeLauro chairs an appropriations subcommittee in the House which deals with healthcare funding. 'This $385 million reallocation takes money away from groundbreaking medical research into HIV/AIDS, cancer, mental health, as well as from Head Start, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and much more,' the congresswoman added. 'We cannot continue to spend taxpayer dollars on the President’s manufactured crisis at the border, which is government-sanctioned child abuse.'"

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