Trump Budget ‘Not a Budget,’ Think Tank Says

However, "shipbuilding and other big defense spending hikes will occur – without offsets from other programs," Valliere opined.

OMB's budget details the administration's plans for defense and nondefense discretionary spending for fiscal 2018 while proposing some adjustments for the current fiscal year, as noted by the Center for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Unlike prior skinny budgets from first-year presidents, "President Trump's budget does not include any proposed changes to mandatory spending or revenue, nor proposals and cost estimates in the years beyond 2018. By focusing only on discretionary spending, this budget effectively ignores 70% of spending and 90% of its growth over the next decade," the Center says.

For fiscal 2018, Trump's budget – which was released the same day that the debt limit was reinstated – calls for a $54 billion increase in defense spending – a full repeal of the cap reductions often referred to as "sequester," the Center notes.

To offset these costs, the budget reduces nondefense discretionary spending by about one-tenth.

Relative to today's level, the Center states that the budget would cut the State Department by 29% ($11 billion), the Environmental Protection Agency by 31% ($3 billion), the Health and Human Services Department by 16% ($13 billion), and the Education Department by 14% ($9 billion).

"Most other domestic agencies would also see substantial cuts; 19 smaller agencies would be eliminated entirely. The Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security Departments would see their funding boosted a combined $7 billion – by 6% and 7%, respectively," the Center notes.

The Center goes on to state that the administration "can rectify this lack of detail by putting out more proposals in the coming weeks and releasing their fuller budget as quickly as possible. Until a budget plan is proposed and agreed to, legislative changes with major fiscal implications should be avoided."