Preliminary budget would cut $6B from HUD, report says

FILE: President Trump speaks with his HUD DirectorBen Carson. The Trump administration is reportedly considering a $6 billion cut to the budget. (Reuters)

Preliminary budget documents obtained by The Washington Post show the Trump administration is considering more than $6 billion in cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The newspaper reports that the preliminary budget would slash nearly $2 billion from funds dedicated to public housing. It would eliminate the Community Development Block Grant Program, which funds local improvement efforts and anti-poverty programs.

Programs that help fund housing for homeless veterans, disabled people and the elderly would also face substantial cuts.

The Post reports that HUD's overall budget would be cut by about 14 percent, to $40.5 billion in fiscal 2018.

HUD spokesman Jereon Brown told the Post the budget document "is still a work in progress." The Trump administration is expected to announce its overall budget plan next week.

President Trump has said he plans to pay for billions of dollars more for the military by cutting spending on domestic agencies and departments. Trump plans to submit his budget to Congress the week of March 13.

Last week, the Associated Press obtained a copy draft of the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget proposal from the Office of Management and Budget. The report said the EPA’s budget could be reduced by roughly 25 percent, costing the agency about 3,000 jobs.

A spokeswoman for the EPA declined to comment at the time, but a top official said in an internal memo that EPA leaders "will do everything in our power to protect our ability to support the mission of the agency in protecting human health and the environment."

The Associated Press contributed to this report