Trump touts budget updates to fund Special Olympics, send astronauts to Mars

President Trump on Monday announced a series of updates to his proposed budget for fiscal 2020, including funding amounts for the Special Olympics and the country’s space exploration program.

Trump fired off four tweets over a 10-minute stretch early Monday evening specifying the budget updates, several of which had been announced previously without dollar amounts. The president’s budget typically represents priorities for the administration and is rarely passed by Congress without changes.

The president said he was amending his budget to include $18 million for the Special Olympics, “whose athletes inspire us and make our Nation so PROUD!”

Today, I officially updated my budget to include $18 million for our GREAT @SpecialOlympics, whose athletes inspire us and make our Nation so PROUD!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019

{mosads}Education Secretary Betsy DeVos faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers in both major parties in March after the department’s original budget for the coming year made $17.6 million in cuts to the program.

After days of outcry, Trump vowed that the program would be funded.

The president also said his updated budget would include an additional $1.6 billion for NASA to focus on space exploration. Trump said the country is “going back to the Moon, then Mars.”

Vice President Pence said earlier this year that the Trump administration is committed to landing U.S. astronauts on the moon within the next five years. No human has landed on Mars.

Under my Administration, we are restoring @NASA to greatness and we are going back to the Moon, then Mars. I am updating my budget to include an additional $1.6 billion so that we can return to Space in a BIG WAY!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019

The president on Monday also shared two environmental budget updates.

One change allocates $200 million for Army Corps Everglades restoration work, which Trump called “Good for Florida and good for the environment.”

My Administration will be fighting for $200 million for the Army Corps Everglades restoration work this year. Congress needs to help us complete the world’s largest intergovernmental watershed restoration project ASAP! Good for Florida and good for the environment.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019

He also said he would include $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Trump reversed course on his original proposal to cut 90 percent of the program’s budget during a late March campaign rally in Michigan.

We must protect our Great Lakes, keeping them clean and beautiful for future generations. That’s why I am fighting for $300 million in my updated budget for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019

The Trump administration released its original budget proposal earlier this year, calling for domestic spending cuts of 5 percent across the federal government while increasing defense spending and providing $8.6 billion to fund the president’s proposed southern border wall.

It’s unclear whether the divided chambers of Congress will be able to pass a full budget by the end of the current fiscal year.