President Donald Trump’s first comprehensive budget proposal, to be released Tuesday, will include significant cuts in welfare programs for lower-income citizens, as well as significant increases in spending on defense and security.
Although the plan has not yet been unveiled, some of the details that will include the budget proposal for fiscal year 2018, starting in October, have already begun to be known.
Among them, according to The Washington Post, cited by government sources, highlights the huge cuts in the program known as Medicaid, which provides health coverage to lower-income citizens.
Trump’s budget targets cuts of $ 800 billion over 10 years, and follows the line of a proposal by House Republican lawmakers.
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan body, this would mean that about 10 million citizens would lose health insurance in the next decade.
In addition, the White House would reduce funding of the low-income family food program known as SNAP by $ 193 billion, benefiting 44 million people by 2016, and would give states more competition to define the A minimum of hours worked or the search of active employment of its beneficiaries.
Trump has criticized the massive upswing in social programs launched by his predecessor, Barack Obama, during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, as he believes it does not encourage many beneficiaries to return to the job market and contributes to the imbalance of accounts Public policies.
Last week, Mick Mulvaney, director of the White House Budget Office, lamented at a conference in Washington that he has “taught people to be immune to the true costs of government.”
“Citizens believe that government is cheaper than it is because we have been allowed to borrow money for a long period of time and not worry about returning it,” said Mulvaney, who designed the budget proposal.
Medicare, medical coverage for those over 65 and Social Security pensions, two of the most expensive for public accounts, and a promise from the president during the election campaign are still exempt from cuts.
The proposal is more a statement of political priorities than an economic document, as it must be approved by Congress.
Trump’s plan succeeds the blueprint presented in March and has a more comprehensive range, as it affects the total federal government expenditures and revenues.
The president then outlined the main lines of his budget, which included a huge boost to defense spending of $ 54 billion, an increase of 10 percent, and $ 1.6 billion for the construction of the wall along the border with Mexico, Along with a notable tax cut.
In addition, environmental protection and international aid programs would be greatly reduced.
On the other hand, she is expected to apply for a $ 200 billion item for infrastructure projects and another $ 25 billion over 10 years for a maternity and paternity leave program designed by her daughter and counselor Ivanka Trump,
A few weeks ago, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin presented the guidelines for tax reform, with substantial declines in corporate and family tax rates.
The Government is confident that the reduction of the tax burden will boost economic activity and compensate with the greatest growth the anticipated fall in tax revenue.
For its part, the Democratic opposition quickly criticized the first details of the Republican president’s budget.
“Instead of protecting public education, health coverage, and other programs that help American workers, President Trump is simply committed to making room for his huge tax cuts for the rich,” said Adrienne Watson, deputy director of Communication from the National Democratic Committee.
