With Budget Proposal, Trump Takes Aim at the Arts & Humanities to Make America Dumb Again

President What's-his-face released his budget proposal, signaling what he considers the government's priorities over the next few years. With a pandering title like "America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again," the proposal seeks to boost the country's defenses at the expense of foreign aid and government entities like the State Department, Environmental Protection Agency, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

All in all, Trump's budget would reallocate over $54 billion from federal programs to military spending and his precious, precious wall. Among the 19 agencies that would be completely eliminated under Trump's proposal:

Corporation for Public Broadcasting, aka the folks that bring you PBS and NPR
Institute of Museum and Library Services, awards grants to museums and libraries
National Endowment for the Arts, awards grants to writers, poets, artists and art organizations
National Endowment for the Humanities, awards grants to scholars, researchers, and academics, as well as funds the United States Newspaper Project and Ken Burns docs
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, funds and promotes revival of urban, suburban, and rural communities through local financial institutions and development organizations
Northern Border Regional Commission, promotes economic development in poor counties in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, works to prevent and end homelessness especially among veterans, families, and youth

In addition, Trump's budget would slash nearly $3 billion from the Environmental Protection Agency, much in funding for climate change programs within the agency. You know, because climate change isn't a thing, despite the freakish amount of insane snowstorms in the past 20 years. The Department of Health and Human Services, however, was the hardest hit, with the White House proposing a $15 billion cut in funding.

While Congress ultimately decides the budget, it's currently in the grasp of the Republican Party, which seems more and more satisfied each day with sheepishly following the commander-in-chief deeper into the rabbit hole. Besides, the GOP has been itching to eliminate the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities since Reagan and they're well-positioned now with control over nearly every branch of the government.

And as evident by their plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, the Republicans are far more invested in party over country, going against its own principles and the the good of the citizenry in order to maintain power. So, unless Republicans in Congress grow both a spine and a conscience, we're looking at an end to the idea of America as a place of thought, exploration, and expression in favor of an America jacked up on nuclear weapons and jingoistic pride while jowels-deep in debt over some useless border wall.