One of the changes I decided would be beneficial for the country was increasing the allotment of money spent for Energy, Natural Resources, Environment. Ideally, more funding would, specifically, be applied to the subcategories (according to the New York Times) of “conservation operations” and
“regulatory, enforcement, and research programs.” I feel like it is essential for the government to become more involved in the fight to save the environment for our future generations and this could be a crucial first step.
Another change I decided would be necessary is decreasing the funding for National Defense. Although
National Defense is obviously a very crucial aspect of the budget that keeps American peace of mind, there are other categories that need more funding. Also, even with my proposal of a 2% decrease in funding for National Defense, it still takes up 14% of the budget (the second highest percentage). In particular, the subcategories of “operation and maintenance” and “military personnel” could, realistically, be reduced without much consequence. This is due to the fact that 2010 levels in each of these two categories were significantly lower (about 4% lower combined) without serious issues.
I also decided to increase funding for Transportation by 2%. In particular, I think “air transportation security” should further be emphasized in order to ensure the peace of mind of the American people.
Also, funding for railroads went down more than 35% in 2011. In my opinion, railroads are still a crucial part of our economy that should not be underappreciated.
I lowered funding for Income Security by 1% as well. While this 1% seems like an insignificant change, it is still billions of dollars. In particular, funding for rental and homeless assistance, while obviously necessary, could be reduced without significant consequence. As of right now, these two subcategories use about $30 billion combined.
Raising funding for Health by 1.5% seems like a logical choice. In my opinion, developing new medical technologies and techniques to further improve health care is crucial. In particular, I would like to see this extra percentage of the budget to be spent doing “research and training.” Researching and finding cures to various illnesses can often be the difference between life
