2017 Joint Address to Congress


QuotationCost per Year
(in $ Millions)
Research NotesLinks
"… [W]e will be saving billions more dollars on contracts all across our Government."IndeterminateWithout specific information, it is impossible to verify or estimate the level of savings. Federal agencies spent over $500 billion in 2015 on contract services and products like information communications technologies and electronics.https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/114th-congress-2015-2016/reports/49931-FederalContracts.pdf
" … [W]e will expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted [to drugs]."IndeterminateThe Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act enacted in July, 2016 authorized over $181 million per year to expand prevention and education efforts. The 21st Century Cures Act, passed into law in December, 2016, provided $1 billion in grants to states to deal with opioid abuse. Trump has called to "expand incentives for states and local governments to use drug courts and mandated treatment. ... I would dramatically expand access to treatment slots and end Medicaid policies that obstruct inpatient treatment." It is unlear what amount of additional funding President Trump would support.http://www.cadca.org/comprehensive-addiction-and-recovery-act-cara https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/12/07/congress-passes-21st-century-cures-act-boosting-research-and-easing-drug-approvals/https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-remarks-in-portsmouth-nh
" … [W]e will soon begin the construction of a great wall along our southern border."$2,520During the 2016 campaign, NTUF estimated that construction of a southern border wall would cost at least $12.6 billion over five years, but there are several factors that could drive up the final price tag like the duration of construction and the terrain on which the wall would be built.http://candidatecost.org/blog/the-cost-of-donald-trumps-campaign-spending-agenda
"We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish [ISIS] from our planet."IndeterminateIn 2014, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments estimated that deploying U.S. troops on the ground could cost nearly $2 billion per month, and that conducting higher-intensity air operations against the Islamic State could cost up to $6.8 billion per year.http://csbaonline.org/publications/2014/09/estimating-the-cost-of-operations-against-isil/
"Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits: it will save countless dollars, raise workers’ wages, and help struggling families –- including immigrant families –- enter the middle class."IndeterminateA cost estimate is unavailable. 
"To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking the Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in the infrastructure of the United States — financed through both public and private capital … ."$31,917This is a minimum cost estimate. During the presidential campaign, Trump supported a plan to finance infrastructure spending through a repatriation tax on corporate earnings. Trump’s tax plan would have incentivized businesses to repatriate a portion of their earnings by assessing a one-time 10 percent tax on such income. A similar 14 percent repatriation tax was included in President Obama’s FY 2016 budget proposal and was estimated to increase revenues by $268.1 billion over six years. At a 10 percent rate, the tax would raise $191.5 billion. NTUF had assumed that all of these revenues would be used as outlays to fund Trump’s infrastructure spending. It is unclear whether or how much additional spending or tax incentives will be required to spur public-private partnerships to finance the full amount of Trump's $1 trillion plan.http://candidatecost.org/blog/the-cost-of-donald-trumps-campaign-spending-agenda
"Tonight, I am ... calling on this Congress to repeal ... Obamacare … ."-$94,040The Congressional Budget Office has not completed an analysis of all of the spending related to President Obama’s signature health care law. A January 2016 CBO estimate of repealing the Affordable Care Act showed that direct spending would be reduced by $470.2 billion over five years. There are potentially additional unreported discretionary savings.https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/114th-congress-2015-2016/costestimate/hr3762followingenactmentofconsolidatedappropsactof2016.pdf
" … [W]e should ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage, and that we have a stable transition for Americans currently enrolled in the healthcare exchanges."$7,964Similar proposals to achieve this end would re-establish high-risk pool grant funding to states. It is unclear what specific level of funding Trump would support; however, a related proposal has been drafted by the Center for Health and Economy which onlined a detailed plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The reforms included a proposal to re-establish federal funding for high-risk patients to help provide health insurance coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. Funding would start at $7.5 billion in the first year and increase by three percent annually. Total funding would amount to $39.819 billion over five years.http://healthandeconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2014-09-04-2017-Project-Score.pdf
" … [W]e should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded Health Savings Accounts … ."IndeterminateIt is probable that any tax credits established and provided to assist individuals with the purchase of health insurance would be "refundable" credits. Refundable credits can be claimed regardless of a filer’s income tax liability and thus increase federal spending. A cost estimate is indeterminate. 
" … [W]e should give our great State Governors the resources and flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out."IndeterminateDuring the presidential campaign, Trump advocated establishing Medicaid block grants which would provide state governments with flexibility to craft programs that suit their respective population's needs. At the time, NTUF assumed that those block grants would be spending-neutral. It is unclear whether Trump is now calling for additional funding.http://www.ntu.org/foundation/detail/donald-trumps-health-care-reform-blueprint
" … [W]e should implement legal reforms that protect patients and doctors from unnecessary costs that drive up the price of insurance … ."-$3,380NTUF assumes that Trump's statement is in support of medical tort reform, which would lead to savings of $16.9 billion over five years. A related proposal was included in CBO’s report, Options for Reducing the Deficit: 2014 to 2023. A more recent cost estimate is unavailable.https://www.cbo.gov/budget-options/2013/44892
" … [We should] … work to bring down the artificially high price of drugs … ."IndeterminateTrump cited the need for reform of the Food and Drug Administration. During the campaign he advocated for the importation of prescription drugs which would require up front costs to set up and administer a regulatory and inspection program. Overall, the proposal would drive up costs on medication due to the price controls enforced by other countries, diverting resources for the development of new drugs. 
" … [T]he time has come to give Americans the freedom to purchase health insurance across State lines … ."$38Currently, a 1945 law permits the states to regulate health insurance plans within their borders; however there is an exemption for certain large employers. CBO conducted a cost estimate for H.R. 2355 (109th Congress), the Health Care Choice Act of 2005. The bill would provide for cooperative governing of individual insurance coverage offered in interstate commerce. At the time, CBO estimated that the bill would increase spending by $160 million over five years ($191 million, adjusted for inflation). It is unclear whether this cost estimate would be higher or lower today given that it was originally calculated prior to the implementation of the ACA.http://www.ntu.org/foundation/detail/donald-trumps-health-care-reform-blueprint
"My administration wants to work with members in both parties to make childcare accessible and affordable … ."IndeterminateDuring the 2016 campaign, Trump proposed to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable credit available regardless of a filers earnings, to provide childcare. EITC benefits increased outlays of $60.1 billion in FY 2015 and reduced revenues by $6.6 billion. The new child care benefits would be based on the average cost of child care in the state of the eligible filer. A cost estimate for the new benefit is indeterminate. There are 27.5 million filers, of which 6.3 million (23 percent) do not have qualifying children.http://candidatecost.org/blog/the-cost-of-donald-trumps-campaign-spending-agenda
"My administration wants to work with members in both parties to … help ensure new parents have paid family leave … ."$1,875During the 2016 campaign, the Trump team noted, "providing a temporary unemployment benefit for eight weeks through the UI system would cost $2.5 billion annually at an average benefit of $300 per week.” Based on that figure, providing a new benefit for six weeks would cost $1.875 billion per year.https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/child-care-reforms-that-will-make-america-great-again
"My administration wants to work with members in both parties to … invest in women’s health … ."IndeterminateIt is unclear what level of funding Trump is advocating. 
"My administration wants to work with members in both parties to … promote clean air and clear water … ."IndeterminateIt is unclear whether Trump is calling to increase federal spending. 
"I am calling upon Members of both parties to pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African-American and Latino children. These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them."IndeterminateIt is unclear whether this proposal would require additional funding or would permit existing funding to follow each student to their respective schools. 
"I am sending the Congress a budget that rebuilds the military, eliminates the Defense sequester, and calls for one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history."$54,000Recent media reports indicate that Trump will call for a 10 percent boost in defense spending, an increase of $54 billion.https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/child-care-reforms-that-will-make-america-great-again
"My budget will also increase funding for our veterans."IndeterminateIt is unclear what level of funding Trump is advocating.