David Marchese

They have contracts to shoot satellites up in the air for the Air Force. Right. So it's really unlikely that Trump is going to make major cuts in that area. And if you Look at his governing record from his first administration. The military budget went way up and Trump tried to make it go higher even than it did. So he's somebody who has said a lot. He wants the military to be strong.

He wants to spend a lot of the military. I don't sense a lot of appetite from him to shrink the military budget in any sort of significant way.

He wants to spend a lot of the military. I don't sense a lot of appetite from him to shrink the military budget in any sort of significant way.

Well, it's important to note that we are running huge budget deficits as a country and that a lot of the federal budget, about 10%, is just paying interest on money we already borrowed. So nobody's excited about this spending. Nobody gets any benefit out of this spending. But we already agreed to pay these debts.

Well, it's important to note that we are running huge budget deficits as a country and that a lot of the federal budget, about 10%, is just paying interest on money we already borrowed. So nobody's excited about this spending. Nobody gets any benefit out of this spending. But we already agreed to pay these debts.

And if you stopped paying interest now, you'd save a lot of money for about five minutes. And then the country would default and interest rates would go up and the economy would be shattered. It would not help any of Trump's political goals to stop paying interest on the debt. Yeah.

And if you stopped paying interest now, you'd save a lot of money for about five minutes. And then the country would default and interest rates would go up and the economy would be shattered. It would not help any of Trump's political goals to stop paying interest on the debt. Yeah.

Well, in theory, it gives them a still pretty broad range of things to cut within the federal government. The part that remains outside those programs we talked about earlier is everything from Medicaid and veterans benefits to the State Department to the Education Department. You know, there's a lot of different federal agencies and federal programs that in theory could be out there to be cut.

Well, in theory, it gives them a still pretty broad range of things to cut within the federal government. The part that remains outside those programs we talked about earlier is everything from Medicaid and veterans benefits to the State Department to the Education Department. You know, there's a lot of different federal agencies and federal programs that in theory could be out there to be cut.

But the problem they're going to run into is Congress. That's the problem these efforts always run into. The reason the government spends money on these things in the first place is because Congress told them to. And so now to cut them, you need Congress to undo that effort. And sometimes that happens.

But the problem they're going to run into is Congress. That's the problem these efforts always run into. The reason the government spends money on these things in the first place is because Congress told them to. And so now to cut them, you need Congress to undo that effort. And sometimes that happens.

But what has been proven again and again is that even small, seemingly small programs have a constituency in Congress. And you're going to need those folks to sign off to get rid of them. And often it doesn't happen. You know... I covered the Tea Party Congress in 2010, 2011, 2012, when there was a huge amount of effort. There'd been this big wave in Congress.

But what has been proven again and again is that even small, seemingly small programs have a constituency in Congress. And you're going to need those folks to sign off to get rid of them. And often it doesn't happen. You know... I covered the Tea Party Congress in 2010, 2011, 2012, when there was a huge amount of effort. There'd been this big wave in Congress.

All these people elected to cut the budget. They were explicitly running on the idea that budget was too big. We have to cut things back. And one of the things I did at that time was write about these tiny little programs that seemed like the easiest possible things to cut.

All these people elected to cut the budget. They were explicitly running on the idea that budget was too big. We have to cut things back. And one of the things I did at that time was write about these tiny little programs that seemed like the easiest possible things to cut.

Well, so my favorite one was the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center.

Well, so my favorite one was the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center.

Sheep, to improve the sheep. It paid for a sort of contest that rewarded people who were good at shearing sheep for trips for people in the sheep industry to take, you know, trips around the country.

Sheep, to improve the sheep. It paid for a sort of contest that rewarded people who were good at shearing sheep for trips for people in the sheep industry to take, you know, trips around the country.

Yeah, it's like a million dollars. So it was sort of like, you know, in theory, the easiest thing to cut. And so at the time I was writing about this congressman from Florida, this Republican from Florida, it was sort of like a Mr. Smith goes to Washington thing, except, you know, the stakes were much, much smaller. Yeah. He just wanted to get rid of the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center.