Things got bizarre during NBC Nightly News on Monday when reporter Hallie Jackson seemed to suggest that President’s Donald Trump wealth somehow precluded him from increasing military spending. “The President who's talked plenty about his money now spending the taxpayers',” she chided while a clip of Trump talking about his money played, “In a new budget blueprint that's as much a political document as a financial one.”
“The White House today also revealed that President Trump plans to hike defense spending by 10 percent, or $54 billion, as part of his first budget proposal,” fretted anchor Lester Holt during the lead-in to Jackson’s ridiculous criticisms, “And it would put other federal agencies in line to absorb some potentially deep cuts.”
She played a clip of Trump proclaiming that the country was going to “start winning wars again,” and then appeared to whine about Trump’s vision as she explained what that entailed, “That means a lot more money on the military, a lot less almost everywhere else.” She listed some of the problems she saw with the President’s budget proposal as it stood:
President Trump wants to add $54 billion to beef up the Pentagon, intelligence agencies, and Homeland Security. And slash the same amount to agencies like the EPA and the State Department. … His new budget director emphasizes it's just an outline, but the cuts could mean less money for, say, arts programs or helping people in need overseas.
The NBC reporter also ran a clip of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi attacking Trump for not knowing any better. “I don't even know if the President really understands the ramifications of the cuts that are being proposed,” she smeared.
And then, in a very strange line of argument, she appeared to argue that Trump should target entitlement spending instead, stating that, “Right now, the government spends the majority of its budget on entitlements, like Medicare and Social Security. Programs the President's promised to protect.” It’s true that in order to get spending under control entitlements must be dealt with, but it’s hypocritical for a liberal to point that out since they don’t really care about the debt/deficit and want to increase government dependency.
As Jackson wrapped up her report, she seemed to give the impression that is was somehow inappropriate for Trump to adjust the spending of the federal government, “A framework for now as the President puts our cash behind his campaign promises.”
This is the classic liberal media moving the goalpost with fiscal responsibility. Now that a Republican is in office, entitlements need to be brought under control but for the last eight years, they were left unchecked, with Congressional Democrats wanting to balloon the programs.
That’s not to mention the snarky attitude about Trump reallocating tax dollars to the programs he wanted to be ramped up. Where is that argument with left’s talk about free college and free health care? For crying out loud, that’s what ObamaCare and Obama’s failed green energy investments were. The only difference is that Obama has a “D” next to his name and not an “R.”
Transcript below:
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NBC Nightly News
February 27, 2017
7:08:30 PM EasternLESTER HOLT: The White House today also revealed that President Trump plans to hike defense spending by 10 percent, or $54 billion, as part of his first budget proposal. And it would put other federal agencies in line to absorb some potentially deep cuts. We get details on this from NBC's Hallie Jackson.
[Cuts to video]
HALLIE JACKSON: The President who's talked plenty about his money –
DONALD TRUMP: I’m really rich.
JACKSON: Now spending the taxpayers'. In a new budget blueprint that's as much a political document as a financial one.
TRUMP: We have to start winning wars again.
JACKSON: That means a lot more money on the military, a lot less almost everywhere else. President Trump wants to add $54 billion to beef up the Pentagon, intelligence agencies, and Homeland Security. And slash the same amount to agencies like the EPA and the State Department.
MICK MULVANEY: We are taking his words and turning them into policies and dollars.
JACKSON: His new budget director emphasizes it's just an outline, but the cuts could mean less money for, say, arts programs or helping people in need overseas.
NANCY PELOSI: I don't even know if the President really understands the ramifications of the cuts that are being proposed.
JACKSON: Right now, the government spends the majority of its budget on entitlements, like Medicare and Social Security. Programs the President's promised to protect. Even though party leaders like Paul Ryan have pushed to overhaul them to save money.
JACKSON: The president has made clear he doesn't want to touch these entitlements, are you comfortable with the budget that doesn't do that?
PAUL RYAN: Repealing and replacing ObamaCare is fundamental entitlement reform.
MAYA MACGUINEAS: You cannot have a serious, credible, fiscally responsible budget that does not address the challenges in our entitlement programs.
JACKSON: A framework for now as the President puts our cash behind his campaign promises. Hallie Jackson, NBC News, the White House.
