World News: OnPolitics Today: Budget buzz

with Jessica Estepa

OnPolitics Today: Budget buzz

White House budget director Mick Mulvaney speaks during

Happy Monday, OP-ers. Since we last talked, the government shut down and reopened, the president blocked the release of a certain Democratic memo and questions arose about whether John Kelly would stay with the White House (which, yes, so say the president's advisers).

And that doesn't even cover today.

We know. Deep breath. Keep up with the latest, subscribe here and let's go.

It's budget day!

The White House released President Trump's budget request on Monday, and it's exactly what you'd expect. Trump's priorities - infrastructure, a border wall and opioid treatment - would receive full funding, and defense spending would represent the greatest buildup since Ronald Reagan . Overall, the budget would run a $984 billion deficit for fiscal 2019.

Here's the number breakdown:

•	$21 billion for infrastructure, as part of a spending plan worth $200 billion over the next decade
•	$23 billion for border security, which includes $18 billion for a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border
•	$10 billion on opioid treatment
•	$716 billion in defense spending

But, as always, a word to the wise: Trump's proposal is merely a wish list, and Congress, which sets the budget through legislation, can just ignore it. His budget proposes $57 billion less in domestic spending than what Congress agreed to (and what Trump himself signed) in a budget compromise last week.

It's portrait day!

The National Portrait Gallery added two new paintings to its collection on Monday: one of former president Barack Obama and one of former first lady Michelle Obama.

The portraits have already proven to be quite divisive, but personal preferences aside, the significance of their additions can't be overstated. Obama's portrait will be, of course, the first time a black president will be featured in the gallery's presidential collection. Additionally, the artists who painted the Obamas, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, are the first black artists to receive a presidential commission.

Exclusive: VA to criticize secretary for summer trip

The Department of Veterans Affairs is expected to claim Secretary David Shulkin improperly accepted Wimbledon tickets and used taxpayer dollars to pay his wife's airfare during a trip to Europe last summer. The report from VA investigators is expected to be released this week, but Shulkin's lawyers plan to blast the report, per a rebuttal obtained by USA TODAY's Donovan Slack.

"The draft report ignores critical facts, presenting a one-sided version of events that casts aside evidence contradicting your chosen narrative," the lawyers, Justin Shur, Eric Nitz, and Emily Damrau, wrote.

This would only be the latest travel hiccup for the Trump administration. Tom Price resigned last year as health and human secretary, amid outcry that he'd racked up $400,000 in charter flights. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin faced an investigation into his use of government aircraft that cost taxpayers at least $800,000 (something that his department's inspector general found did not violate any laws). Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was dinged for incompletely documenting his officials travels. And EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is under investigation for his own travels.

Elsewhere in politics

•	Trump budget would eliminate Justice Department program to ease racial tensions
•	Senate to start DREAMer debate and anything could happen
•	Chuck Schumer tells Kentuckians: New York makes some of best bourbon in the world
•	RFK's visit to Appalachia, 50 years later: How Kennedy country became Trump country