Trump unveils budget plans including boost to military - paid for by huge cuts for the poor and the arts

The Trump administration has unveiled a budget that sees a huge boost on military spending while programmes to help the poor are subject to swathing cuts.

President Trump’s first budget proposal, named ‘America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again’, plans to increase defence spending by $54 billion.

That cash injection would then be offset by cuts to more than 18 other government agencies and discretionary spending programmes.

The budget, which follows Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda, hits bodies including the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), which would see its funding cut by more than 30%, as well as reductions of more than 20% at the Agriculture, Labor and State departments.

Other programmes would be cut completely, including the Energy Star program and the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

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Other programs including medical research and the arts would also lose a chunk of their funding, while foreign aid would also be reduced.

But the new President’s promise to build a wall on the border with Mexico would take a step forward, with $1.5 billion allocated to it in the budget proposal, and more cash the following year.

In a message for his budget, Trump reportedly said: “A budget that puts America first must make the safety of our people its number one priority — because without safety, there can be no prosperity.”