Trump tells aides to prepare for sweeping budget cuts if he wins a second term
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-tells-aides-to-look-for-big-spending-cuts-in-second-term-seeding-confusion-about-budget-priorities/2019/07/19/3e9e9bde-a98c-11e9-86dd-d7f0e60391e9_story.html
Trump tells aides to look for big spending cuts in second term, sowing confusion about budget priorities
By Damian Paletta, Jeff Stein and Josh Dawsey
July 19 at 6:37 PM
President Trump has instructed aides to prepare for sweeping budget cuts if he wins a second term in the White House, five people briefed on the discussions said, a move that would dramatically reverse the big-spending approach he adopted during his first 30 months in office.
Trumps advisers say he will be better positioned to crack down on spending and shrink or eliminate certain agencies after next year, particularly if Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives.
But this second-term ambition is already sowing confusion about how the White House should approach the current slate of negotiations, in which some conservatives want Trump to push for spending restraint.
Instead, Trump is advocating swiftly lifting the federal debt ceiling, which would allow for more spending and borrowing. Trump, who was once a fierce promoter of refusing to raise the debt ceiling without winning concessions, said the opposite on Friday, telling reporters that its a sacred element of our country. They cant use the debt ceiling to negotiate.