GOP Plans Cuts to Medicaid, SNAP to Fund Billionaire Tax Breaks

It is reported that Congressional Republicans are considering imposing new work requirements for Medicaid and food assistance recipients and introducing spending limits on these programs. These measures are being discussed as ways to compensate for the substantial costs of their tax policies, which are predominantly advantageous to wealthy individuals and major corporations.

The Washington Post reported on Monday that with Republicans set to assume full control of the federal government in January, preliminary discussions are underway about “major alterations to Medicaid, food stamps, and other federal safety nets to counterbalance the huge expenses of prolonging” elements of the regressive tax law President-elect Donald Trump enacted in the first year of his presidency.

The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan entity, earlier this year predicted that extending the 2017 tax cuts would increase the U.S. deficit by $4.6 trillion over the coming decade. With tax legislation being a priority in the upcoming Congress, Republicans plan to use a streamlined process called reconciliation to quickly pass another round of tax reductions.

According to the Post, Trump’s transition team has been in talks with GOP legislators and advisors about implementing stringent new work requirements and spending restrictions on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Studies and real-life examples have consistently demonstrated that work mandates do little to increase employment while complicating the process for individuals in need to obtain assistance.

“To fund tax reductions for their billionaire benefactors, the GOP intends to make essential services like food and healthcare less affordable and accessible for the country’s most vulnerable populations,” stated Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) in a tweet reacting to the report by the Post. “Be clear about whose interests they are serving.”

“We were already aware that the upcoming tax cuts for the affluent would come with high costs. Now it appears that severe reductions to vital programs are also planned to support these cuts.”

Following elections where the cost of groceries was a significant concern, the Post reported that GOP lawmakers are contemplating removing the presidential authority to adjust SNAP benefits, which currently rise with inflation. This move, they argue, could be considered a deficit reduction measure, potentially saving tens of billions of dollars, as per some projections.

Regarding Medicaid, the report detailed initial Republican discussions to end efforts by the Biden administration to assist those who lost coverage in the aftermath of the pandemic. This includes introducing work requirements similar to those for SNAP and increasing the frequency of eligibility reviews, potentially leading to more individuals being cut off from the program.

Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Chair of the House Budget Committee, recently advocated for what he termed a “responsible and reasonable work requirement” for Medicaid, noted the Post.

The projected savings from such changes are nowhere near sufficient to cover the enormous costs of extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for individuals and providing additional tax breaks to large corporations. On the campaign trail, Trump suggested lowering the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15%, a change that would result in a $48 billion annual tax reduction for the 100 largest U.S. corporations.

Trump’s tax plans would also disproportionately favor the wealthiest Americans. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) released an analysis last month indicating that the tax proposals Trump made during his campaign for a second term would result in tax reductions for the top 5% and tax increases for the bottom 95%.

“It was already clear that next year’s push for tax cuts for the wealthy would be expensive,” ITEP posted on social media on Monday. “Now, it’s evident that deep cuts to crucial programs are planned to finance these cuts.”