Trump Tries to Cut Spending, Dems Say Budget 'Cruel,' Dead on Arrival

US government spending is out of control and the national debt is unsustainable, soaring to a whopping $22 trillion. And it just keeps growing. Now, President Trump is pressuring Congress to cut costs.

But Democrats in the House of Representatives have already said the proposal is dead on arrival.

The president's proposed budget includes a record $4.7 trillion in federal spending, but at the same time it also calls for 5 percent across-the-board cuts to most non-Defense discretionary programs.

Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought says cuts are needed to balance the budget in 15 years. He told reporters at the White House on Monday, "Washington has a spending problem."

Trump’s budget increases Defense spending to $750 billion, but it reduces domestic spending by $30 billion.

One of the hardest hit agencies – Environmental Protection. Trump wants to cut that department by 31 percent. The State Department would see a 23 percent budget reduction, Housing and Urban Development would be reduced 16.4 , and Education by 12 percent.

Democratic leaders – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) – have already rejected the president's proposal. And self-proclaimed socialist, Bernie Sanders said it is filled with "cruelty."

Sanders said Trump's budget is quote, "A budget for the military industrial complex, for corporate CEOs, for Wall Street and for the billionaire class."

But Vought says it's time to break with congressional practices of the past.

"They continue to let a paradigm exist in this country that says for every dollar in Defense spending we are going to increase non-Defense spending by a dollar. We think we need to break that paradigm. We don't think that paradigm allows us to get our fiscal house in order," he explained.

The national debt currently stands at $22 trillion, and it's growing every minute. In 2016, candidate Trump promised to eliminate the national debt in eight years. So, what happened to Trump’s promise?

"Congress has been ignoring the president's spending reductions for the last two years," explained Vought. "It's only now in our third budget that they are willing to have a conversation about the national debt. We have been trying to have it since we got into office."

Meanwhile, funding for a border wall is back in the debate. The president told Breitbart News he's concerned about adding more immigrants to the welfare roles. 

He's asking Congress for $8.6 billion to construct an additional 700 miles of fencing along the Mexican border. 

And once again, border wall funding could lead to another government shutdown – not immediately, but before the next federal fiscal year begins October 1st.