May 23, 2017
A Federal Relations Update
This morning, President Trump released his full fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget. Overall, the proposal includes a $22 billion increase in defense spending above current levels and reduces non-defense programs by $57 billion.
It is important to note that the president’s budget is a request to Congress and is not law. Final FY 2018 spending levels will be determined by the Appropriations Committees and Congress.
Numerous programs important to UW–Madison, ranging from financial aid for our students to scientific research programs, are slated to be cut or eliminated. See the chart below for a summary of the proposal.
In her statement, Chancellor Rebecca Blank wrote, “If enacted by Congress, such cuts would significantly impact the nation’s public research institutions and the students who attend our institutions, as well as the overall competitiveness of our country.”
Tomorrow, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is headed to Capitol Hill for two days of hearings, where he will defend the administration’s budget and field questions from concerned lawmakers. In the coming days and weeks, additional agency heads will do the same. Members of Congress from Wisconsin serve on important committees that have jurisdiction over the agencies important to our campus, and our office will be communicating with those members and others to explain what these proposed cuts would mean for our students’ ability to attend UW–Madison and how our research community would be impacted.
