• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Exclusive

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump.

FinanceEconomy

DNC Head Calls Trump Budget Plan “Unconscionable”

By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
and
Annalyn Kurtz
Annalyn Kurtz
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
and
Annalyn Kurtz
Annalyn Kurtz
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 16, 2017, 2:51 PM ET
US-POLITICS-LABOR-OBAMA
US Labor Secretary Tom Perez speaks as President Barack Obama listens during a town hall meeting at the Summit on Worker Voice at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 7, 2015. AFP PHOTO/NICHOLAS KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)Nicholas Kamm — AFP/Getty Images

Newly elected chair of the Democratic National Committee Tom Perez, and former Labor Secretary, has some tough criticisms of the Donald Trump’s budget proposal released Thursday.

In an interview with Fortune, Mr. Perez, who has said he wants to be President Trump’s “worst nightmare,” says the budget blueprint shows Trump is “looking out for his friends on Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.”

Perez said he is particularly troubled by the proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as the way Trump’s proposals could adversely impact American workers.

“Budgets are moral documents,” he said. “They reflect the values of any government and when you’re compromising clean air, clean water, and lead, you’re making a statement about communities you don’t care about.

President Trump’s proposal calls for a $54 billion increase in defense spending, paid for by cuts in other discretionary non-defense spending. Budgets for the EPA, as well as the departments of State, Agriculture and Labor would each be slashed more than 20%.

Perez previously served for three years as the Secretary of Labor under President Barack Obama’s administration, and had some particularly strong feelings about the slash to the agency he once managed, calling it “unconscionable” for Trump to run on a platform of helping workers and then slash investments in job training.

“When you cut investments in worker training, you’re cutting investments in the middle class,” Perez said.

President Trump has proposed cutting the Department of Labor’s budget by $2.5 billion, or 21%. That cut includes reductions in job training programs.

A program serving low-income unemployed seniors, the Senior Community Service Employment Program, would be completely eliminated, and grants for job training would be decreased, shifting the funding burden for these programs to states, localities, and employers.

At the same time, the proposal would expand one-on-one interviews of the unemployed in an effort to reduce improper and fraudulent unemployment benefit payments.

While the proposal lacks further details on the Department of Labor’s other programs, Perez raised concerns that the budget cuts will weaken the agency’s ability to enforce labor laws. The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division claims to have recovered nearly $1.6 billion in back wages for more than 1.7 million workers since 2009.

“It is a time-honored practice of right wing governments to starve funding for enforcement,” Perez said. “It’s imperative for our enforcement agencies to be a credible threat. There are massive violations of wage and hour laws out there—we need to be those officers on the beat.”

Mr. Perez also said cuts to civil servant jobs may disproportionately affect minorities and women. The public sector has long been thought of as a place where minorities and women could get a toe-hold into middle class jobs, and perhaps face less discrimination than in the private sector.

Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics estimates Trump’s budget proposal could lead to the loss of 100,000 to 200,000 civilian government jobs.

“Federal government has been a gateway to the middle class for people of color for generations,” Perez said. “I am proud of our diversity, and when you attack the federal workforce you are having significant impact on women — many of whom are single moms working to support their family – and you’re having a significant impact on communities of color.”

About the Authors
By Stephen Gandel
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Annalyn Kurtz
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Current price of gold as of May 18, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of May 18, 2026
By Danny BakstMay 18, 2026
4 minutes ago
spirit
Travel & LeisureAirline industry
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can’t afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
By Rio Yamat and The Associated PressMay 18, 2026
5 minutes ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, May 18, 2026
Personal Financesilver
Current price of silver as of Monday, May 18, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 18, 2026
9 minutes ago
shakira
LawTaxes
Shakira will get a $64 million refund from the Spanish government after judge finds she’s not a tax fraud after all
By The Associated PressMay 18, 2026
9 minutes ago
US President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick looks on.
NewslettersCFO Daily
Trump’s new corporate playbook: Why the administration is taking equity stakes in companies like Intel
By Sheryl EstradaMay 18, 2026
48 minutes ago
charlie
CommentarySoftware
Anaplan CEO: AI isn’t eating software. It’s sorting it
By Charlie GottdienerMay 18, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
Economy
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
20 hours ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
6 days ago
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
Success
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
By Sydney LakeMay 17, 2026
1 day ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.