Hillary Clinton broke down what Trump's proposed 2020 budget would mean for people like us, and it doesn't look good
With the fiscal year drawing to a close, the Trump administration introduced its annual budget proposal. Reading up on how the government wants to allocate its money isn’t exactly exciting, but it is important. In past years, the proposed budgets have included significant cuts to programs like Medicaid and food stamps. And unfortunately, the 2020 budget proposal is no different. If you’re wondering how this could affect millennials, Hillary Clinton broke it all down in an eye-opening series of tweets.
Clinton began her Twitter thread by explaining that the latest budget proposal “makes clear that this administration doesn’t value seniors, low-income families, and young people.” Yikes.
She went on to point out that, if the budget passes Congress, it will reduce the funds allocated to Medicare by a whopping $845 billion and cut Medicaid by $241 billion. The SNAP nutrition program, which benefits low-income families, would also lose $220 billion. And the budget would cut federal student loan programs by $207 billion, which is terrible news for a country where young adults are crushed under the weight of student loan debt. These changes would take place over the next 10 years, but they’re still alarming.
The beneficiaries of the Trump administration’s 2020 budget proposal? The military and the border wall. Check out Clinton’s full breakdown of the budget below:
An administration's budget says a lot about what—and, more importantly, who—it values.
So let's talk about the Trump administration's 2020 budget proposal and why it makes clear that this administration doesn’t value seniors, low-income families, and young people.— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 18, 2019
The budget would cut or remove the following over the next decade:
- $845 billion from Medicare
- $241 billion from Medicaid
- $220 billion from the SNAP nutrition program for low-income families
- $207 billion from federal student loan programs— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 18, 2019
Instead of investing in Americans and their families, the Trump budget would:
1. Add $33 billion to the Defense budget for a total of $718 billion.
Even without those additions, our defense budget is equal to the military spending of half the world. https://t.co/Vz7XHQWalP— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 18, 2019
2. Send $8.6 billion to the president's border wall project to address a nonexistent national emergency, on top of $7 billion the administration has already allocated.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 18, 2019
The proposed budget could also slow the fight against climate change.
According to Reuters, the Trump administration is seeking to end government subsidies for electric cars and renewable energy sources. PBS NewsHour points out that in order to fund increases to defense spending, the administration proposed decreasing non-defense spending (which includes the Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of Education and Health and Human Services) by about 9%.
There’s still a chance that the 2020 budget won’t end up looking like what the administration suggested. As Vox points out, Congress didn’t pass either of the administration’s first two budgets, so they could reject this budget proposal, too. But if the proposal manages to pass, it will be young people, low-income families, and the elderly who feel it most.
We’re glad that Clinton is bringing attention to this critical issue. If you feel strongly about stopping these cuts, contact your elected officials.
