Several critics - both Democrats and Republicans - have already voiced their displeasure with the Trump White House's proposed 2018 budget. The plan cuts $1 trillion in social programs over the next decade. Sen. Bernie Sanders is not a fan of the budget's take on Medicaid, calling it a "cruel" cut. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) takes issue with the administration's plans to decrease funding for agriculture programs.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC) has a different take, zeroing in on the budget's plans for defense spending. If the budget passes as is, he predicted more Benghazi-like attacks on the horizon.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Trump cuts to State: "There's a lot of Benghazis in the making if this thing became law." @MariannaNBCNews
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) May 23, 2017
"If we implemented this budget, we'd have to retreat from the world or put a lot of people at risk — a lot of Benghazi's in the making if we actually implemented the State Dept cuts," Graham said. "So this budget is not going to go anywhere."
The budget calls for $603 billion in defense, an increase from Obama's 2017 Pentagon budget, but lower than the $640 billion Graham and other congressional hawks wanted. It cuts the State Department's budget by 29 percent. Judging by Graham's latest comments, he seems especially concerned in terms of what the budget means for funding for our diplomatic compounds overseas.
Terrorists attacked the U.S. consulate and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, killing four Americans, including U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens.
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