The United States Government is about to reveal its fiscal budget, and Americans will not have to wait too much longer to find out what’s inside Donald Trump’s proposed budget. A Washington Post story on Sunday revealed that Medicaid is on the chopping block as well as other poverty assistance programs.
Massive Medicaid cut in Trump’s 2017 Budget
Many U.S. families will see huge changes in the welfare assistance that the government provides for low-income families. As reported by the media house, a request for comments from Trump’s spokesperson at the White House went unanswered.
So with bated breath, everyone will just have to wait for a press conference by the US President, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
This new proposal came after the GOP Party’s "American Health Care Act" garnered enough votes in the House of Representatives back in May. However, the bill still needs support from Senators on Capitol Hill when it gets to the Senate floor for a vote. For now, it hangs on life support since it cannot be signed by The United States President into law unless it receives the necessary votes.
But while the ACHA bill effortlessly sailed through the Republican-dominated House, the most difficult process will be in the US Senate. The health care bill will need 51 Senate votes, and it's already destined for an uphill battle with many Democrats as well as some Republicans worrying about the impact it will have on people who are in the low-income bracket.
Food stamp cuts will displace the poor and disabled
In the proposed budget, the government will seek to overhaul the United States health care system with cuts totaling over $800 billion. The Republicans expect to wind down the US health program that is utilized by the nation’s disabled and impoverished citizens within a 10 year period.
Accordingly, the White House will authorize individual states to cancel or cut a variety of welfare benefits such as the food stamp program. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the program's new name, is the largest welfare program in America.
The United States Department of Agriculture in its monthly report stated that over 44 million American residents received anti-poverty benefits from SNAP. According to several analysts, the purported big cuts outlined in the Medicaid program by the Trump administration will undoubtedly displace many American families.