Co-published by International Business Times
Weather satellites take years to design and build, weeks to successfully launch, and a well-funded staff of scientists to interpret and distribute data. Donald Trump has proposed cutting the federal weather satellite agency’s roughly $2 billion budget by 18 percent.
By cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for mental health care and substance abuse treatment, President Trump’s budget would send more people to jail who don’t belong there.
Local government issues may not appear to be on the Presidential ballot this November. But the national elections, for President and Congress, will affect our local governments and our daily lives for years afterward.
Like all governments, local administrations are funded by tax revenues. A small number of municipalities and counties across the U.S. have their own income taxes, usually under one percent, but sometimes higher. Every county in Indiana, Kentucky and Maryland, 560 cities and villages in Ohio, and big cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, Birmingham, and St. Louis receive funds from local income taxes. Most municipal and county governments, however, rely on property and sales taxes.
But a sizable chunk of local government spending comes from federal and state tax revenues that are then given to local governments as grants. Decisions about the federal budget thus have a major direct impact on our home towns.
» Read more about: Budget Cuts: How Slashing Nationally Hurts Locally »