Trump wise to avoid budget fight over entitlements

Washington Post:
Trump spending plan that makes good on campaign vows puts GOP in a quandary

The president’s proposed budget would increase defense-related spending by $54 billion and cut virtually the same amount from other federal agencies while preserving Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — setting up a potential clash with Republicans in Congress who insist those entitlement programs must be overhauled to ensure the government’s fiscal health.
A fight over entitlements at this point would just play into the Democrats' hand and lead to gridlock and nothing getting accomplished.  The cuts to the "administrative state" will also do more political damage to Democrats and hurt their ability to use deep state actions to thwart Trump policies.

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