Trump is out of office, but his budget director is advising House Republicans to use the debt ceiling to gut vital programs like Medicaid and food stamps.
The Washington Post reported on the agenda of Russ Vought:
“I’m tired of this focus on Social Security and Medicare, as if you’re climbing a mountain and can’t make any progress on that mountain until you go to the eagle’s nest on the top,” Vought told The Washington Post. “You take these cuts to the American people, and you win.”
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In the 10-year budget proposal he has circulated on Capitol Hill, Vought characterizes this approach as part of an existential battle for the soul of the country. The plan includes $2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, the health program for the poor; more than $600 billion in cuts to the Affordable Care Act; more than $400 billion in cuts to food stamps; hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to educational subsidies; and a halving of the State Department and the Labor Department, among other federal agencies. While congressional Republicans have yet to release a budget plan, House GOP lawmakers are weighing cuts to these programs as a way to reduce the debt without touching Medicare and Social Security.
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House Republicans refuse to release their plan to deal with the debt ceiling because their plan is to attack poor people, educational aid, slash the State and Labor departments, and gut the ACA.
This is the same plan that the Trump administration tried to make a reality while cutting taxes for the wealthy and corporations, and it was a total failure with the American people. If those cuts are taken to the American people, they will result in a resounding rejection.
Whether Republicans will say it or not, the plan is to take money and aid from the people at the bottom and give it to those at the very top.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
