Trump budget plan could mean big changes for state of Georgia programs

President Donald Trump’s budget prroposal could have a big impact on state government (Photo by Steve Pope/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump’s budget prroposal could have a big impact on state government (Photo by Steve Pope/Getty Images)

There are many taxpayer-supported programs that President Donald Trump's spending plan would touch, and a lot of them are in the state budget that the Georgia General Assembly will finalize in the next few weeks.

The Georgia budget for fiscal 2018, which begins July 1, would spend about $49 billion. Around $13.9 billion of that comes from the federal government, and some of that is being targeted by Trump for cuts.

More than half of the total, $7.6 billion, goes for Medicaid, which provides health care for the poor and disabled and pays nursing homes to care for the elderly. The budget for that program will be effected by how the president and Congress re-write health care laws and programs, if they can come to an agreement.

The federal government also pays for a wide range of other state programs, such as free and reduced school lunches, community development block grants, environmental protection, and university research.

The last three could take big hits if Trump's budget were to be approved. The presidents wants to eliminate the local community development program funding, calls for cutting almost a third out of the budget for the federal Environmental Protection Agency - which would likely trickle down to states - and looks to slash some types of research funding.

The president's proposal, released Thursday, is thin on specifics but offers his broader vision for the federal budget if he were able to make all spending decisions without Congress stepping in.

Congress, of course, will step in. And even in times of united government, it often has its own set of priorities that differs from the White House’s.

For more on the potential impact on Georgia, check out our coverage on myajc.com