WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is firing an opening shot in an upcoming fight with Capitol Hill Democrats over spending on domestic agencies that face sharp budget cuts without a new 2020 budget deal.
The military faces cuts too, but White House Budget chief Russ Vought writes in a RealClearPolitics opinion piece that the Trump administration will seek to use a budget gimmick to exempt the Pentagon from automatic spending caps written into a 2011 budget agreement.
Vought says the administration will classify tens of billions of dollars in Pentagon operating costs as overseas military spending that doesn't count against shrinking budget "caps" while denying Democrats the money they want to protect domestic agencies against cuts. Democrats are sure to fight the idea.
Trump is submitting his 2020 budget next month.