Trump’s Budget Cuts: Starving the Poor, Feeding the Rich

Our dear president and his faithful MAGA disciples have taken a chainsaw to the federal budget, slashing jobs, defunding agencies, and leaving a trail of wreckage so vast that even a FEMA response team—assuming they still have funding—couldn’t clean it up.

This new wave of so-called “fiscal responsibility” has been particularly brutal on the working class. Thousands have been shown the door as federal programs are gutted, tossed aside like last week’s McDonald’s wrappers in the back of Trump’s limo. The Environmental Protection Agency, already a shell of its former self, is being hacked to the bone, ensuring that future generations will get the exciting opportunity to see the air they breathe. The Social Security Administration, a lifeline for retirees and the disabled, is now being “streamlined”—which is MAGA-speak for “we’re cutting so much staff that good luck getting anyone on the phone before you die.” Meanwhile, Medicaid, that pesky little program that helps millions of low-income Americans afford healthcare, is staring down the barrel of an $880 billion cut over the next decade. But don’t worry, I’m sure your thoughts and prayers will cover those medical bills.

Now, one might assume that if Trump and his cronies are waging war on government spending, they’d be doing it across the board. That would be the responsible thing to do, wouldn’t it? Oh, but that’s where you’d be mistaken, dear reader. Because while the administration is busy ripping the safety net out from under millions, there are a few—let’s call them chosen—industries that are doing just fine.

Take Big Oil, for example. You’d think that an industry that made a trillion dollars in profits last year might be able to fend for itself. But no—subsidies and tax breaks continue to flow like crude from a busted pipeline. Fossil fuel companies are still enjoying billions in federal handouts, because in Trump’s America, if you’re an oil baron wrecking the planet, the government is more than happy to pick up the tab.

And then there’s the defense industry, which, despite the administration’s supposed obsession with cutting government waste, is still sucking on the federal teat like a Wall Street banker at an open bar. Case in point: the F-35 fighter jet. This $2 trillion boondoggle has been in development for over two decades, and yet, despite its historic ability to malfunction at the worst possible moments, the Pentagon is still throwing money at it. Cuts to Medicaid? Sure. Cuts to Social Security? You bet. Cuts to the most expensive failed warplane in history? Perish the thought!

Wall Street, too, is feeling no pain. The hedge fund managers and private equity sharks continue to enjoy their precious carried interest loophole, a tax dodge so outrageous that even some Republicans have, on occasion, pretended to be ashamed of it. But fear not—while the administration is more than happy to cut food assistance for poor families, the billionaires who gamble with your retirement savings are still getting a sweet deal.

And let’s not forget Big Pharma. If you thought all these budget cuts meant drug companies might have to stand on their own two feet, think again. Subsidies, tax breaks, and the eternal gift of government-protected patent monopolies keep their profit margins nice and fat. Life-saving medications remain wildly overpriced, but hey, at least their CEOs can afford another yacht.

So, what have we learned? Well, austerity is alive and well, but only for the little people. If you’re a struggling American who relies on federal programs, sorry—your government has decided it can’t afford you. But if you happen to be a fossil fuel conglomerate, a hedge fund titan, a weapons manufacturer, or a pharmaceutical giant, congratulations! The gravy train is still running, and the station is open 24/7.