PENNSYLVANIA – Yesterday, despite his campaign promise to “save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts,” President Trump openly admitted that he’s willing to go after these vital earned benefits. In an interview with CNBC, Trump stated that his administration would “take a look” at slashing these programs in the coming year.
“On the 2016 campaign trail, candidate Donald Trump promised that he wouldn’t touch vital programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Now, after signing into law a massive tax break for the wealthiest Americans and large corporations, he is breaking that promise,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesman Andres Anzola. “The President’s reversal is a slap in the face to hardworking Pennsylvanians who rely on these earned benefits. Trump only cares about serving the wealthiest and well-connected. Democrats have and will continue to fight for policies that put working families first.”
BACKGROUND: The Administration’s attacks are nothing new. The Administration’s latest budget proposal would have cut hundreds of billions of dollars from these vital programs.
$845 billion from Medicare — Washington Post: “Trump for the first time calls for cutting $845 billion from Medicare, the popular health care program for the elderly that in the past he had largely said he would protect.”
Nearly $1.5 trillion from Medicaid — Washington Post: “The spending plan calls for a cut of nearly $1.5 trillion in Medicaid over 10 years and for $1.2 trillion to be added for a new ‘Market Based Health Care Grant’ — that is, the block grants that would start in 2021. It also would eliminate funding for Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act has gone to about three dozen states over the past five years.”
$26 billion from Social Security — New York Times: “And Mr. Trump proposed spending $26 billion less on Social Security programs, the federal retirement program, including a $10 billion cut to the Social Security Disability Insurance program, which provides benefits to disabled workers.”
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