Conservative groups are hailing President Donald Trump's first budget proposal as a home run with praise of the highest order — it's "Reaganite," the Washington Examiner reported.
"This is a Reaganite, limited-government, anti-waste and anti-duplication budget," Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, was quoted by the Examiner.
"It certainly makes those Republican critics who said that Trump would be a big-spending populist look like idiots."
Trump's proposed budget would cut more than $3.5 trillion in federal spending over the next 10 years — including $800 billion in Medicaid — while boosting military spending and leaving entitlements alone.
"This is the most fiscally conservative budget since Reagan," Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute, told the Examiner.
However, several Senate Republicans have panned the budget for going too far in its cuts, with Sen. Lindsey Graham worried about a near 30 percent cut to the State Department.
Sen. John McCain called Trump's budget "dead on arrival" for not spending enough on defense.
But to fiscal conservatives like Norquist, it's time for old guard Republicans to put their money where their mouth is, not to mention it'll be fun to watch them squirm if Trump, of all people, appears more conservative than them.
"He's governing as Reagan would have, completely in the mainstream of the modern Republican Party," said Norquist, quoted by the Examiner.
"What's interesting will be to watch those Republicans who wanted to criticize Trump when he was running to see if they are as Reaganite as Trump is."
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