President Trump’s first major budget proposal will include sweeping cuts to Medicaid, federal pensions and food stamps, according to new reports.
The Washington Post reports that Trump’s budget will include $800 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next 10 years, which would cause 10 million low-income people to lose health benefits.
The White House will also give states more flexibility to impose work requirements for people taking part in various social welfare programs, according to the report.
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Trump’s budget reportedly includes a massive $193 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the modern version of food stamps, over the next 10 years, slashing its budget by more than 25 percent. The food stamp cuts are part of a broader $274 billion cut that’s labeled welfare reform, according to the Associated Press.
The budget also contains $1.6 billion in funding for Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a larger $2.6 billion spending hike for border security programs.
The president’s first budget promises to balance the federal budget in 10 years, using an optimistic outlook on economic growth, projecting three percent growth after passing huge tax cuts, according to the Post.
Trump promised repeatedly on the campaign trail to avoid cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. The budget plan, which is set to be publicly unveiled Tuesday, does not contain cuts to Medicare and Social Security, but its large cuts to Medicaid fall in line with House Republican’s desire to curtail the expansion of the program under former President Obama.
Trump’s budget will be released Tuesday, but the proposal is a blueprint for Congress, which appropriates the funds. The Post noted that some Republicans won’t back some of the larger cuts Trump will propose.