Trump targets minority, civil rights programs for cuts or elimination

President Trump reportedly has plans for major budget cuts--including plans to reduce or eliminate several programs that are important to small businesses and minorities.

The Commerce Dept.’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), which assists minority-owned businesses, is among those said to be targeted for cancellation, according to reports by The Hill, Time, and other publications.

The MBDA said it serves more than 17,000 minority-owned businesses a year with a budget of $36 million. From fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2011, it helped such firms obtain nearly $11 billion in contracts and capital, the highest performance in the agency’s history.

Other agencies expected to be on the chopping block include the Economic Development Administration and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

The Trump team’s goal is reportedly to reduce spending by $10.5 trillion in 10 years.

Many of the cuts originated in white papers from the conservative Heritage Foundation and the Republican Study Committee. Here is a partial list of the planned cuts:

Commerce Dept.:

• International Trade Administration - $521 million
• Economic Development Administration - $215 million
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership - $142 million
• Minority Business Development Agency - $36 million

Justice Dept.:

• Legal Services Corp. - $503 million
• Office of Violence Against Women - $480 million
• Office of Community Oriented Policing Services - $286 million
• Civil Rights Division - $156 million
• Environmental and Natural Resources Division - $123 million

State Dept.:

• Overseas Private Investment Corporation - Self-sustaining
• UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - $10 million

Energy Dept.:

• Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - $2.9 billion
• Office of Fossil Energy - $878 million
• Office of Electricity Deliverability and Energy Reliability - $262 million

Corporation for Public Broadcasting - $445 million

National Endowment for the Arts - $150 million

National Endowment for the Humanities - $150 million

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