Jonathan Ernst
President Trump’s new budget proposal would slash funds for Medicaid and pave the way for states to limit other programs for low-income citizens, The Washington Post reported Sunday. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report said Medicaid will lose more than $800 billion over 10 years, a move that could see as many as 10 million people lose their benefits in the next decade. Under Trump’s proposal, which is due to be announced Tuesday, states also will be given more power to restrict programs for low-income groups, with the ability to impose work requirements on those seeking assistance. A cut in Medicaid funding is in line with a proposal from House Republicans as part of an Obamacare replacement, though Senate Republicans have warned against reversing the program’s expansion.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the modern equivalent of food stamps, would also be gutted under Trump’s proposal. According to the Associated Press, the program would lose $193 billion over the next 10 years, a 25 percent decrease that would drive millions of low-income people out of the program. Trump’s proposal has already faced criticism from lawmakers. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Sunday night that the budget “continues to reveal President Trump’s true colors.” “His populist campaign rhetoric was just a Trojan horse to execute long-held, hard-right policies that benefit the ultra wealthy at the expense of the middle class,” he said. The White House has not yet commented on the details of the budget proposal.