Ethan Jorgensen-Earp is a Public Affairs Advisor in our Washington DC office.
The Trump Administration released on May 23, 2017, its full Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget request, titled "A New Foundation for American Greatness." President Donald Trump's request builds off of the administration's March 16 budget blueprint, or "skinny budget," entitled "America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again." Although the President's budget does not carry with it the force of law, the document has historically served as an important signal to Congress of the administration's policy and funding intentions for each fiscal year, and thus typically includes fairly detailed descriptions of funding goals for some of the federal government's most crucial health-related programs.
In addition to reducing non-defense spending in FY 2018, the request also outlines a strategy to balance the budget by 2027 through additional annual 2 percent cuts to non-defense discretionary programs. These cuts amount to a total of $3.6 trillion in spending reductions and cuts publicly held debt to 60 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Many of the major non-defense domestic programs see extensive funding reductions, and healthcare is no exception.
This memorandum provides a closer look at the budget's impact on healthcare-related agencies and programs.
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