House GOP Pushes For Cuts to Food Assistance & Medicaid

MADISON, Wis. — In a new budget resolution unveiled today, House Republicans proposed $4 trillion in tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the ultra-wealthy—and make deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food assistance to pay for it.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Joe Oslund issued the following statement:

“The Republican budget resolution unveiled today takes food off the table of working families and cancels doctors appointments for sick kids to pay for tax cuts for the rich. Republicans like Derrick Van Orden promised us there would be no cuts to food assistance, and they said they’d fight to protect the health care working families depend on. Cutting Medicaid and food stamps to pay for tax cuts for the rich proves that there is no low Republican politicians like Derrick Van Orden won’t stoop to.”

The House GOP budget resolution unveiled today would make deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food assistance to help pay for an extension of the Trump tax cuts.

Bobby Kogan, Center For American Progress: “House Republicans just released their budget resolution – which keys up their reconciliation bills, which can avoid a filibuster and be passed with a simple majority. This is VERY real. They are calling to cut Medicaid by AT LEAST $880 billion, and to cut SNAP by AT LEAST 20%.”

Brendan Duke, Center For American Progress: “$230B+ in deficit reduction for the Agriculture Committee (that means nutrition cuts) $330B+ in deficit reduction for Education committee (that means education cuts) $880B(!!)+ in deficit reduction for Energy and Commerce (that means Medicaid cuts) And $4,500B for tax cuts”

NBC NEWS: “House Republicans released a budget resolution Wednesday that calls for cutting taxes by up to $4.5 trillion and sets a goal of slashing federal spending by $2 trillion. … The resolution also would raise the debt limit by $4 trillion ahead of an expected deadline later this year for Congress to act or risk an economically calamitous default on the country’s obligations. It adds that the ‘goal of this concurrent resolution to reduce mandatory spending by $2 trillion’ — referring to the part of the U.S. budget that includes Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP benefits and more.”

The Trump tax cuts overwhelmingly benefited the ultra-wealthy, with households making $450,000 or more receiving more than 45 percent of the benefits—all while increasing deficits by $4 trillion.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: “On Friday, the U.S. Treasury released a new analysis of the various ways that extending the expiring individual and estate tax provisions of Trump’s 2017 tax overhaul — known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — could cost the government, and who would directly benefit the most from the legislation’s permanent extension. For instance, the Treasury’s Office of Tax Analysis estimates that the top 0.1% of earners would get a tax cut of $314,000 under a full extension of the individual and estate tax provisions, with the total cost of those tax cuts amounting to $4.2 trillion between 2026 and 2035. … The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center in July reported that households making about $450,000 or more would receive more than 45% of the benefits of extending key provisions of the 2017 act. And the Penn Wharton Budget model estimates that permanently extending the TCJA would increase deficits by $4 trillion over the next decade.”

Derrick Van Orden claimed he opposed cuts to SNAP benefits—but continues to support cutting SNAP benefits.

CAP TIMES: “The House agriculture committee’s proposal would freeze the Thrifty Food calculation to account for inflation only. Van Orden’s office said the congressman is ‘against cutting SNAP benefits,’ but in May he voted in favor of the committee’s proposed cut to the program.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.