[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 43 (Monday, March 11, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1760-S1761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

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   BUDGET OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020--PM 5

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was referred jointly, pursuant to the order of January 
30, 1975, as modified by the order of April 11, 1986; to the Committees 
on the Budget; and Appropriations:

To the Congress of the United States:
  In just over 2 years, together with the American people, we have 
launched an unprecedented economic boom. Since I was elected, we have 
created more than 5 million new jobs, including half a million 
manufacturing jobs. Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off 
food stamps. Unemployment is the lowest in nearly half a century. 
African American unemployment, Hispanic American unemployment, and 
Asian American unemployment rates have all reached historic lows. Our 
Nation is experiencing an economic miracle--and it is improving the 
lives of all our citizens.
  We have achieved these extraordinary gains thanks to historic tax 
cuts and an unprecedented regulatory reduction campaign, through 
unleashing American energy production, systematically fixing bad trade 
deals, and remaining absolutely committed to putting the needs of the 
American worker first.
  My Administration worked with the Congress to pass unprecedented 
legislation to confront the opioid crisis, a sweeping new farm bill, 
groundbreaking criminal justice reform, major investments to rebuild 
the military, and historic Department of Veterans Affairs reforms to 
ensure that our great veterans have access to high quality healthcare.
  We are also making our communities safer. To target violent crime, my 
Administration has increased support for Federal, State, and local law 
enforcement We have added nearly 200 new violent crime prosecutors 
across the United States. And last year, the Department of Justice 
prosecuted more violent crimes than ever before. As a result, violent 
crime is falling.
  My Administration is confronting the national security and 
humanitarian crisis on our southern border, and we are accepting the 
moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and 
jobs of our citizens. This includes our obligation to the millions of 
immigrants living in the United States today who followed the rules and 
respected our laws.
  In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and 
defined the middle class standard of living. Now we must write the next 
chapter of the great American adventure, turbo-charging the industries 
of the future and establishing a new standard of living for the 21st 
century. An amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within 
reach. We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, our 
culture richer, our faith deeper, and our middle class bigger and more 
prosperous than ever before.
  We are now addressing our challenges from a position of strength. My 
2020 Budget builds on the tremendous progress we have made and provides 
a clear roadmap for the Congress to bring Federal spending and debt 
under control. We must protect future generations from Washington's 
habitual deficit spending.
  This year, I asked most executive departments and agencies to cut 
their budgets by at least 5 percent. In addition to reflecting those 
reductions, my Budget invests in the following priorities:
  Securing our Borders and Protecting our Sovereignty. As President, my 
highest duty is the defense of our Nation--which is why finishing the 
border wall is an urgent national priority. All who are privileged to 
hold elected office must work together to create an immigration system 
that promotes wage growth and economic opportunity, while preventing 
drugs, terrorism, and crime from entering the United States. 
Immigration policy, like all policy, must serve the interests of 
Americans living here today--including the millions of new Americans 
who came here legally to join our national family. The American people 
are entitled to a strong border that stops illegal immigration, and a 
responsible visa policy that protects our security and our workforce. 
My Budget continues to reflect these priorities, and I look forward to 
working with the Congress to finish the border wall and build a safe, 
just, and lawful immigration system that will benefit generations of 
Americans to come.
  Preserving Peace through Strength. A strong military, fully 
integrated with our allies and all our instruments of power, enables 
our Nation to deter war, preserve peace, and, if necessary, defeat 
aggression against United States interests. To that end, my Budget 
requests $750 billion for national defense, an increase of $34 billion, 
or 5 percent, from the 2019 enacted level. The Budget funds the 
National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy, building on 
the major gains we have already made throughout the world.
  Protecting our Veterans. Our Nation's brave warriors and defenders 
deserve the best care America has to offer--both during and after their 
active service. Last year, I signed into law the historic VA MISSION 
Act of 2018 to reform and transform the Department of Veterans Affairs 
healthcare system into an integrated system for the 21st century. My 
Budget fully funds all requirements for veterans' healthcare services 
and provides additional funding to implement the VA MISSION Act of 
2018.

[[Page S1761]]

  Investing in America's Students and Workers. To help protect taxpayer 
dollars, my Budget continues my request to create an educational 
finance system that requires postsecondary institutions that accept 
taxpayer funds to have skin in the game through a student loan risk-
sharing program. My Administration will also continue to seek expanded 
Pell Grant eligibility for high-quality, short-term programs in high-
demand fields, so that students and workers can quickly gain valuable 
skills at a more affordable cost and obtain family-sustaining jobs. We 
must create and invest in better opportunities for our Nation's 
students and job seekers, while ensuring that we do so in a more 
efficient and effective manner.
  Research for Childhood Cancers. Many childhood cancers have not seen 
new therapies in decades. My Budget initiates a new effort that invests 
$500 million over the next 10 years to support this critical life-
saving research.
  Defeating HIV/AIDS in America. The HIV epidemic still plagues our 
Nation, with more than 38,000 Americans infected every year. In 
response, my Budget provides $291 million to the Department of Health 
and Human Services to defeat the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The goal is to 
eliminate most new infections within 5 years (75 percent) and nearly 
all within 10 years (90 percent). This initiative will focus efforts on 
diagnosis, prevention, and treatment efforts in the locations where 
intense transmissions of the virus are driving the epidemic.
  Confronting the Opioid Epidemic. My Budget continues historic levels 
of funding for our law enforcement, prevention, and treatment efforts 
to combat the opioid and drug addiction epidemic.
  Supporting Working Families. America must also lead in supporting the 
families of our workforce so that they can balance the competing 
demands of work and family. My Budget includes a one-time, mandatory 
investment of $1 billion for a competitive fund aimed at supporting 
under-served populations and stimulating employer investments in child 
care for working families. My Administration has also pledged to 
provide paid parental leave to help working parents, and we are 
committed to partnering with the Congress to enact this important 
policy.
  We must always strive to uphold our oaths to promote and protect the 
personal and economic freedoms the Constitution guarantees to us all.
  We must work together to renew the bonds of love and loyalty that 
link us to one another--as friends, as citizens, as neighbors, as 
patriots, and as Americans.
  My Budget reflects my Administration's commitment to these worthy 
goals as it seeks to make the United States of America wealthier, 
stronger, safer, and greater for every American family and 
neighborhood.
                                                     Donald J. Trump.  
The White House, March 11, 2019.

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