What Trump’s Budget Would Mean For Seniors

Last week, Congress passed an outline of the 2019 budget. This week, President Trump rolled out his own budget plan, which would fill in some of the spending details. While most proposals in President Trump’s newly released 2019 budget are unlikely to become law, the fiscal framework does show the White House’s priorities for government over the coming year. And those apparently don’t include support for older adults, younger people with disabilities, or their families.

For example, the Trump budget would:

  • Restructure the Medicare drug benefit to reduce costs for some beneficiaries but raise them for others.
  • Reduce overall Medicare spending by $236 billion over 10 years.
  • Freeze most funding under the Older Americans Act.
  • Eliminate key federal block grants that states use to fund programs for seniors.
  • Create a new six-week family leave program, but exclude those caring for frail parents or other relatives with disabilities
  • Abolish the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
  • Cut funding for Food Stamps (SNAP) and shift the benefit from a voucher to a box of home delivered food.

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