By Martin Berman-Gorvine

Several associations have been out front in criticizing the Trump administration's proposed budget, even though the president's wish list for spending is considered a nonstarter in Congress.

American Geophysical Union CEO Chris McEntee said, "President Trump asserts that his fiscal year 2020 budget is an investment in America's students and workers, and that it aspires to turbocharge ‘the industries of the future.' However, those claims quickly fall flat when you realize that his proposal imposes damaging cuts to the science programs, which can protect our environment, public health and national security, as well as secure and grow our economy."

Similarly, Rush Holt, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said the proposed budget cuts "would derail our nation's science enterprise."

The American Hospital Association said in a blog that proposed Medicare and Medicaid cuts in the budget request "raise serious concerns about how hospitals and health systems can ensure they serve as the safety net for their patients."

Chip Kahn, CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, similarly denounced "arbitrary and blunt Medicare cuts to hospitals who care for the nation's most vulnerable" and the impact that would have on care for the poor and the old.

One group applauding the budget proposal is the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents the offshore energy industry. President Randall Luthi praised the call for increased or continued funding for offshore energy exploration while rejecting the idea of "expanding offshore inspection fees to non-rig units, which has been rejected by Congress in the past."

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