How Much Will Trump's Mexico Wall Cost? New Budget Draft Proposes Cuts In Funds For Coast Guard, FEMA And TSA

The administration of President Donald Trump is considering budget cuts to Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other agencies focused on national security threats, according to a draft plan. To fund the $21.6 billion border wall, which is facing funding issues, a draft plan has been created by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which will also curtail the budget of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Washinton Post reported.

The proposed cut for the Coast Guard budget is 14 percent — $9.1 billion budget in 2017 would be cut to about $7.8 billion. TSA and FEMA budgets would be reduced by about 11 percent each to $4.5 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively, the Post said.

With about $2.9 billion reserved for building the U.S. - Mexico border wall, the Department of Homeland Security's budget would get a boost by more than 6 percent.

The proposed cuts in the draft plan have aleady gathered cynicism among Republican lawmakers and homelanmd-security experts, for focussing more on the border wall and sidelining other national security agencies.

Duncan D. Hunter, member of the Republican Party from California, who supported Donald Trump’s run for president and oversees the House Transportation subcommittee on the Coast Guard and maritime transportation, wrote in an op-ed published by Fox News: "The Coast Guard, operating on an already shoestring budget of $9 billion, is being targeted by OMB for a cut of $1.3 billion in the next fiscal year. A dramatic cut of such magnitude is appalling and should alarm Americans given the Coast Guard’s complex and expansive mission in protection of America’s shores and waterways."

Joe Courtney, Democratic U.S. representative for Connecticut's second congressional district, busted the proposed budget as "destructive". In a statement Courtney said: “Making deep cuts to the Coast Guard, FEMA, and TSA in the name of a new national security initiative is totally out of touch with the work that the Department of Homeland Security performs." He said: “The budget shared by OMB, which explicitly targets the Coast Guard, TSA and FEMA, will weaken security and undermine all of the progress that was made over the last 4-years to recapitalize Coast Guard cutters, rescue boats, and icebreakers. I will join my colleagues from both sides of the aisle on the Coast Guard caucus to stop this destructive plan from ever being implemented.”

Meanwhile, Michael Short, a White House spokesman, said that the working process of the budget is still in its nascent stage and it will be sent to the Congress later this month, the Post reported.