Obama Reveals His Trump-Based Strategy Behind GOP Spending Success

Mar 28, 2018 12:00:00 AM

by

(This is satire, not to be confused with fake news) In a statement released by the Obama Foundation Tuesday, Barack Obama revealed his behind-the-scenes work to get Trump elected to office so he could control congressional Republicans. “During my second term, I realized Republicans weren’t opposed to my higher domestic spending proposals. They were opposed to me,” said the former president. “I knew it would be the same for Hillary, so helping The Donald win the election was the most logical way to get a W for Democrats.” In his 2016 budget request, Obama asked for $77.9 billion to go to the Department of Health and Human Services. The GOP resisted President Obama, but approved $78 billion last week under President Trump. Similarly, the GOP fought the former president two years ago on funding for the Department of Labor and the Department of Education, and then literally laughed with their hands on their bellies last week when they signed off on a spending plan for those departments that was $1.5 billion higher than Obama’s original request. “For years, I had been trying to get the GOP to fund my infrastructure program, TIGER, properly. I asked for $1.2 billion, but year after they kept me stuck in the mud at $500 million. Now that I got Trump in office, Congress is giving my program $1.5 billion. I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Obama. GOP lawmakers responded. “People think our hands were tied because this was ‘the only way’ we could get the higher military spending we wanted,” said Speaker Paul Ryan. “[pullquote]The truth is, we wanted to make it rain all along, everywhere, but we had to consider the optics of giving Barack Hussein Obama what he asked for[/pullquote],” said Ryan. Ryan went on to explain how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would invite him to the Marble Room behind the Senate chambers where they would practice making it rain with stacks of ones. “We’re pushing $1.3 trillion, holmes. Those rappers don’t even know!” Obama and the GOP were also happy with what they did for education, despite Trump’s agenda and DeVos’s recommendations to cut funding to the department. “Betsy DeVos was trying to go all ‘conservative Freddy Krueger’ on us and…Slash! Slash! Slash!” McConnell said, “But we showed her. We increased her budget by $3.9 billion. That’s billion with a B, sucka!”

Lane Wright

Lane Wright is Director of Strategic Growth at Education Post. In addition to this role, he tells stories that help families understand how their schools are doing, how to make them better and how policy plays a role. He’s a former journalist and former press secretary to Florida’s governor, and he’s got a knack for breaking down complex education reform policy issues into easy-to-understand concepts. During his time at Education Post, and with previous organizations, Lane has interviewed teachers, students and local school leaders. He’s spent time watching them work in the classroom and helped them raise their voices on issues they care about. He’s also helped parents advocate—in the news, and before lawmakers—for a better education for their own kids. Lane, his wife, and three children live in Tallahassee, Florida, where his kids attend a public charter school.

The Feed

Explainers

  • What's an IEP and How to Ensure Your Child's Needs Are Met?

    Ed Post Staff

    If you have a child with disabilities, you’re not alone: According to the latest data, over 7 million American schoolchildren — 14% of all students ages 3-21 — are classified as eligible for special...

  • Seeking Justice for Black and Brown Children? Focus on the Social Determinants of Health

    Laura Waters

    The fight for educational equity has never been just about schools. The real North Star for this work is providing opportunities for each child to thrive into adulthood. This means that our advocacy...

  • Why Math Identity Matters

    Lane Wright

    The story you tell yourself about your own math ability tends to become true. This isn’t some Oprah aphorism about attracting what you want from the universe. Well, I guess it kind of is, but...