'We’re in an emergency in this country!': The View erupts over White House budget proposal

Politics were in the air on Friday’s episode of “The View” as several co-hosts engaged in a heated back-in-forth at the show’s onset. Poised to welcome political commentator Tomi Lahren later in the program, Joy Behar wasted no time jumping into politics.

Behar kicked off the show by reminding the audience it’s St. Patrick’s Day, a celebration of “some of the first immigrants to come to this country.” The comedian noted on this day people “celebrate the luck of the Irish.”

“Of course, if you’re elderly, sick or poor your luck has just run out,” Behar said.

“It took ten seconds for you to go there,” Paula Farris joked.

Behar turned immediately to Donald Trump’s 2018 budget proposal, which the White House released Thursday. That budget outline slashed funding for arts and sciences and boosted defense spending by $54 billion.

“We’re in an emergency in this country,” Behar said. “People need to get with the program.”

Referring to Budget Director Mick Mulvaney’s assertion that Trump’s budget is “compassionate”—despite cutting funds that go towards social programs like Meals on Wheels—Behar asked, “is it compassionate for Donald to ask the single moms foot the bill for his golf weekends at Mar-a-Lago?”

Co-host Sunny Hostin agreed with Behar, suggest the president’s budget is putting “billionaires first,” prompting Jedidiah Bila to argue that the real issue is that the country is broke.

“The billionaires aren’t paying their fair share,” Hostin countered.

“They pay 50 percent in taxes!” Bila argued.

“No they don’t,” Hostin shot back. “They … evade taxes.”

After Behar repeated that she doesn’t understand why tax payers have to foot the bill for Trump’s weekend trips to Florida, the panel erupted into a shouting match between Hostin and Bila.

Watch the video below, via ABC: