Trump budget hits CG ship

President Donald Trump's budget would cut a $600 million-plus state-of-the-art Coast Guard cutter that's a priority of the powerful Republican chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi. The proposal by Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is included in draft documents of the White House budget request obtained by the Associated Press. The documents ask the Department of Homeland Security to cancel its contract with Ingalls Shipbuilding, which is to building the ship at its shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The documents say at least $500 million could be saved by canceling the contract and the money would be spent elsewhere in the homeland security budget for next year. (Source: AP via Sun Herald, 03/01/17)