Hawaii Congresswoman reacts to President Trump's proposed budget

“Hawaii is going to be hit," Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI-1) said.

Hanabusa is criticizing President Trumps new budget proposal.

“We are proposing a budget that will shrink the bloated federal bureaucracy and I mean bloated. While protecting our national security," President Trump said this week.

The $1.1 trillion dollar budget proposes cutbacks at several federal agencies, like the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. Hanabusa said within HHS, the Community Service Block Grants or H-Cap as it’s known in Hawaii, would hit the rural areas of the state the most.

SOT: Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI-1)

“What that does is it serves all our underserved communities. For example on the big island it serves the elderly with bus services. So really it’s a major hit.”

The “America First” budget outline does include spending *increases.

From defense, to homeland security, to veteran’s affairs. But Hanabusa said even the increases, comes with a cost.

“Defense which is important to Hawaii which is plused up to plus up to $54 billion which means you got to plus up the other programs to the same amount," she added.

But supporters of the proposal say it’s about choosing priorities and protecting the security of the country.

“Defense is a big priority for us at the Heritage Foundation as well as the President and so you have to pay for those cuts somehow," Justin Bogie, Senior Policy Analyst with the Heritage Foundation, said.

He said President Trump is doing his budget, his way, not giving in to special interest groups or even some members of his own party.

He sees the proposal as President Trump fulfilling his promise to the American people.

“I think this is just kind of continuing what some of the priorities the President laid out in the campaign. It shows he’s serious about cutting waste and things he thinks the federal government shouldn’t be doing.”

Both Bogie and Hanabusa said there is stil la long way to go. The full budget won’t come out until May and Congress will have to approve- or reject it.