WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's first budget has no shortage of potential impacts on Georgia's economy.
Released Thursday, the blueprint proposed bumping up funding for the Pentagon by 10 percent, which could be a boon for the state's eight military bases and web of defense contractors. It called for slashing 18 percent from the coffers of the Department of Health and Human Services, which some health advocates worried could have a trickle-down effect at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And a plan to eliminate entirely the National Endowment for the Arts sent quivers down the spine of the city's arts community.
The blueprint is an incredibly important one. It showcases what the new commander-in-chief would do if he had unilateral control over the nation's finances.
The thing is, he doesn't have that kind of control. It has little to do with Trump himself and more with the way spending decisions are made in Washington.
Congress is the branch of government responsible for doling out federal dollars, per the Constitution. And even in times of unified government, Congress has proven time and time again that it has its own set of interests.
Because of that, many, if not most, of the president's proposals will never make it into law.
Read more here: Budget cutters face lots of obstacles, even within their own parties
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