Some of the largest cuts are proposed to the U.S. State Dept. and international programs, amounting to a reduction of $49.1 billion, or 83.7%. Department cuts of $33.6 billion would come from Housing and Urban Development and $33.3 billion from Health and Human Services. 

Environment and Energy

The proposal would cut billions of dollars in funding from environmentally focused programs. It would “cancel” $15.2 billion from various U.S. Dept. of Energy programs such as those funding renewable energy and carbon dioxide removal from the air. 

The Trump budget request targets another $2.5 billion from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency clean and drinking water State Revolving Fund (SRF) formula programs. White House officials wrote in budget documents that “states should be responsible for funding their own water infrastructure projects,” and claimed SRFs are duplicative of other programs like the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). Another $1 billion would be cut from 16 EPA categorical grants for states and local governments. 

Also targeted for cuts is $609 million from Bureau of Reclamation programs that fund efforts such as habitat restoration, but not building or maintaining water infrastructure. 

The budget would cut $389 million from the Energy Dept.’s Environmental Management program, which leads nuclear and hazardous waste cleanup activities at 14 sites and operates the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a geologic disposal facility in New Mexico. White House officials wrote that the budget maintains 2025 funding levels for the Hanford Site cleanup in Washington state, but reduces funding for work at other sites. The cuts include $178 million that officials attributed to the transition of responsibilities from the Environmental Management program to the National Nuclear Security Administration. 

The budget would also cut $254 million from the federal Superfund program, which officials wrote still has $1.6 billion available from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. 

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, criticized the cuts as “an unmitigated disaster for everyone except the looters and polluters” in a statement. 

“By crippling the EPA, Trump would ensure that families nationwide are more dangerously exposed to unsafe drinking water, toxic waste and the skyrocketing costs of climate change,” Whitehouse said. 

The proposal also cuts $325 million from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In budget documents, White House officials wrote that NIST “has long funded awards for the development of curricula that advance a radical climate agenda” and its Circular Economy Program “pushes environmental alarmism.”

Another $80 million would be cut from Dept. of the Interior renewable energy programs under the proposal. 

Transportation Funding

Several U.S. Dept. of Transportation programs helping fund construction projects would see increases under the proposed budget. These include an additional $824 million for a Federal Aviation Administration program to upgrade U.S. National Airspace System facilities and replace radar equipment. 

The budget would add $770 million for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program, which the White House praised for using a “rigorous benefit-cost analyst” in choosing highway, port and freight rail projects to support. It also adds $400 million for rail safety and infrastructure grants, and $596 million for shipbuilding and port infrastructure. 

Workforce Training

As part of the White House’s Make America Skilled Again initiative, officials have proposed handing states “more control and flexibility to coordinate with employers.” States receiving related grants would have to spend at least 10% of the award on apprenticeship programs, which the Trump administration has moved to boost. 

“At this point in the process … the key value in a proposal like this is it reflects some of the policy priorities of the administration,” said Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and workforce at the Associated General Contractors of America, via email. “To that end, we were encouraged by the strong support for craft workforce development in the proposal.”

While consolidating several grants under the program, the White House proposes cutting $1.6 billion in funding. Trump officials criticized Biden administration priorities for workforce training spending, indicating grants would not be available for initiatives assisting immigrants or focusing on diversity and inclusion. 

The budget also cuts another $1.6 billion from the Job Corps, which officials wrote in budget documents is a “failed experiment,” and $405 million from a program that helped train and subsidize employment for low-income seniors. 

“President Trump’s first budget proposal reaffirms his unwavering commitment to putting American workers first, encouraging and empowering states to upskill their workers by expanding apprenticeship opportunities,” U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement.

More Cuts

Several other programs funding construction projects are targeted for funding cuts by the White House’s proposal. They include $3.3 billion from HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program focused on various neighborhood-level projects. White House officials called the formula funding program “poorly targeted” and said projects that should be funded at the local level.

The budget would cut $1.1 billion from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. About half of the $2.8 billion appropriated to it in 2024 has not been obligated as of the first quarter of 2025, according to the White House. 

Another $73 million would be cut from National Park Service construction. The White House aims to transfer some smaller and less-visited parks to state or tribal governments, and officials wrote that park projects should be managed locally. 

Lawmakers will likely make some changes before finalizing their budget, although House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called the White House proposal “a bold blueprint” and said House Republicans would work with the president “to implement a responsible budget.”

Democrats were critical of the proposal. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, said Trump officials “are attacking education, housing, cancer research and investments in the middle class to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.”