For the past half-century, presidents of both parties have, almost without exception, released a comprehensive federal budget proposal to Congress each year. The Trump administration is poised to break that tradition.
In May, months after a full proposal would be typically released, the administration offered what it called a “skinny budget”: an outline of spending priorities that detailed only a small fraction of proposed expenditures. But the administration has declined so far to release a full proposal.
Last month Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, assured a group of reporters that the administration was “certainly going to release a full budget eventually,” but he also seemed to indicate the opposite when he added that releasing one “wasn’t in our interest.” He claimed that the administration didn’t want to confuse the American people by releasing a full budget proposal during debate over the “big, beautiful bill,” Mr. Trump’s signature domestic legislation — even though the legislation had passed weeks earlier.
In addition to being an extraordinary departure from tradition, this budgetary secrecy is unlawful and a betrayal of the trust citizens place in their government. Taxpayers have a right to know how the government intends to spend their money.
The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, which established the modern budget process, required the president to submit a comprehensive plan annually. And a law passed in 1974, in the wake of President Richard Nixon’s attempts to withhold funds appropriated by Congress, further increased congressional control over the budget process.
Mr. Trump’s administration submitted a comprehensive budget proposal every year of his first term. So why the secrecy now? Mr. Vought’s statement suggests an answer. If the administration’s fiscal agenda is as unpopular as its domestic policy law — with further tax cuts for the wealthy and deeper cuts to Medicaid and other popular programs — then hiding it may indeed serve the administration’s interest.
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