Despite pledges made as a candidate, President Trump sought substantial spending cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and food stamps. The federal deficit soared under Trump due to spending increases and tax cuts. On February 13, 2017, Trump fired Michael Flynn from the post of National Security Adviser on grounds that he had lied to Vice President Pence about his communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak; Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia. Flynn was fired amidst the ongoing controversy concerning Russian interference in the 2016 election and accusations that Trump's electoral team colluded with Russian agents. The New York Times reported on August 5, 2018, that two major American steel companies with close ties to senior Trump administration officials had succeeded in blocking requests from 1,600 American manufacturing companies for waivers of the steel tariffs, compelling them to purchase more expensive American steel. Upon taking office, Trump halted trade negotiations with the European Union on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which had been under way since 2013.