Those wondering how President Donald Trump plans to pay for the $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for the rich he signed into law last year got their answer on Monday, when the White House unveiled its 2019 budget (pdf) blueprint that calls for $1.7 trillion in cuts to crucial safety net programs over the next decade — including $237 billion in cuts to Medicare alone.
While imposing “severe austerity” on domestic programs that primarily benefit poor and middle class Americans, Trump’s proposal also aims to hike the Pentagon’s budget to $716 billion — a seven percent increase from his 2018 request — and provide $18 billion for “the wall.”
“The Trump budget is morally bankrupt and bad economic policy,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote on Twitter Monday shortly after the White House proposal was made public.
Trump’s proposed FY19 budget is out. Over 10 years:
– $300+ billion cut to Medicaid
– $213 billion cut to SNAP
– $21 billion cut to TANF
– $72 billion cut to disability programs
– eliminates Social Svcs Block Grant (helps pay for child care and foster care) 1/— Chad Bolt (@chadderr) February 12, 2018
Trump’s budget will include over $200 billion in cuts to food stamps. We can afford a trillion dollars in tax cuts for CORPORATIONS, but must cut food stamps. Got it.
— Michael Linden (@MichaelSLinden) February 12, 2018
Critics were quick to note that such severe cuts to healthcare programs that serve the elderly, the disabled, and the poor will likely come “with a body count.”
“Millions of Americans will lose access to life-saving programs because the GOP gave $1.5 trillion in tax cuts to the rich,” the advocacy group Tax March wrote on Twitter.
Almost the exact same size as the massive handout the GOP just gave their billionaire donors. #HandsOff https://t.co/AE58kPCwVu
— SocialSecurityWorks (@SSWorks) February 12, 2018
In addition to calling for potentially devastating cuts to healthcare, food stamps, and other components of America’s already-withering safety net, Trump’s budget also calls for large cuts to environmental programs — including $598.5 million from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“President Trump’s budget is nothing short of devastating for all Americans who value clean air, safe drinking water, and protected public lands,” Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement on Monday.
Though presidential budget requests are non-binding, they are a strong indicator of the White House’s goals and values, as Indivisible’s senior policy manager Chad Bolt observed while analyzing the newly released document.
Trump’s “budget proposal is just a proposal, but it’s a clear statement of his priorities,” Bolt noted. “Making deep cuts to programs families rely on has been a priority since Day 1.”
After giving massive tax cuts to billionaires, President Trump’s disgraceful budget slashes Medicaid, Medicare, nutrition assistance, heating assistance & attempts yet again to repeal the ACA. This Robin-Hood-in-reverse agenda is the last thing American families need. #HandsOff https://t.co/csk2gSnUsA
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) February 12, 2018
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.