With the federal budget deficit up to $205 billion (a 48% increase since this time last year), it's unsurprising that Republicans are looking to deflect blame.
That's exactly what Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin did in a recent interview with Bloomberg, asserting that in order to get enough money for an increased defense budget, non-military spending demands had to be conceded to the Democrats.
Mnuchin said:
“In an effort to get the military spending -- which the president thought was critical and which I fully support -- given the issues we have all over the world and the under-investment we have had in the last eight years, this required bipartisan support and the Democrats required big increases in non-military spending. So that’s a major component of deficit today.”
Under President Obama, defense spending had peaked in 2011, but congressional Republicans, at the behest of the Trump administration, set new records this year at over $874 billion.
Americans know who is to blame.
Many called out Republicans for lessening federal revenue through impractical tax cuts included in the Republican tax bill, which was passed one year ago.
Not to mention, Mnuchin has his own woes when it comes to misuse of funds.
Mnuchin's plane travel has cost taxpayers around $1 million, and he's met criticism for using military planes on flights to domestic locations instead of opting for a smaller aircraft.
One image encapsulated this misuse of money to the public.
In addition, Mnuchin and his wife frequently flaunt the proximity of Mnuchin's job to the nation's funding.
Though Mnuchin may be blaming Democrats for the deficit, maybe he should examine how far the taxpayer dollar can actually stretch.
The deficit is slated to increase in 2019.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter