Trump targets grant money Pell for NASA's budget boost

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration wants to transfer money to Pell Grants to fund new spending in university education, including a $ 1.6 billion setback for NASA to send American astronauts back the Moon by 2024.

Under a budget amendment sent to Congress on Monday night, the administration would use an additional $ 1.9 billion surplus from the Pell grant to fund other budget priorities, including a new injection of funds for NASA. so that we can return to Space in an impressive way! President Donald Trump tweeted.

A series of proposed amendments cancels some of the most controversial cuts proposed by the Trump administration, including cuts to special Olympics funding. The White House may send such requests, called "terminations", to Congress to recover unspent money deemed unnecessary or unnecessary by the administration. Congress must, however, approve.

Officials insisted that the reallocation of the Pell grant money would have no impact on those currently receiving grants, which helps low-income students finance their education.

"This does not reduce spending for Pell Grant programs because the budget continues to ensure that all students will get their full Pell Grant and will keep the program on a sound financial footing," said the Office of Management's spokesperson. and budget, Wesley Denton.

Enrollment in the program has declined since 2011, resulting in a surplus of nearly $ 9 billion, according to the budget office. The administration originally proposed to use $ 2 billion of this surplus to fund other expenditures. The new demand brings this total to $ 3.9 billion, which the OMB has described as similar to its request for the 2018 budget. The administration has proposed a similar cancellation of the uncommitted Pell grant for 2019, but subsequently rejected the idea.

The decision to boost NASA's budget was announced earlier Monday in a series of tweets in which Trump promised a new era of space exploration.

"Under my administration, we restore the greatness of NASA and we return to the Moon, then Mars," he wrote.

Vice President Mike Pence has called on astronauts to land on the moon five years ago and said NASA must achieve this goal "by all means necessary". This summer marks the 50th anniversary of the first inhabited landing of the moon.

NASA's funding request comes as the White House has expressed reluctance to approve an agreement to increase spending "ceilings" for national programs supported by both sides at Capitol Hill. Negotiations on a disaster relief bill after floods and floods have long been frustrating, largely because Mr. Trump opposed Puerto Rico's having additional funds for reconstruction, to help the island recover from the consecutive hurricanes of 2017.

Trump had previously announced plans to reverse several of his government's proposed budget cuts, including to erase federal funding for a major Great Lakes cleanup program.

In March, Trump told a crowd gathered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that he was reversing the proposed cuts and would support the $ 300 million allocation this year to the Great Lakes. Restoration Initiative after three Republican lawmakers of the state had put pressure on him. Grand Rapids Airport.

Trump's original budget proposal aimed to reduce federal funding for the program by 90%.

Trump also announced on that day that it would reverse its budget appeal to cut $ 17.6 million in Special Olympics funding from fierce Capitol Hill critics.

Trump tweeted Monday that he had "officially updated my budget to include $ 18 million for our GREAT @SpecialOlympics, whose athletes inspire us and make our nation so PROUD!"

And Trump said he was going to claim $ 200 million for the Army Corps' restoration work in the Florida Everglades, calling on Congress to "help us carry out the largest intergovernmental project to restore watersheds in the world! "

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, formally requesting the amendments, Trump said they were "necessary" to properly reflect the priorities of her administration and would not require any new discretionary spending beyond her previous application.