Trump to poor Americans: Get to work or lose your benefits
“Now the Trump administration in its first major budget proposal has proposed more stringent work requirements — similar to those in effect in Maine and other states — to limit eligibility for food stamps and a host of other benefits as part of sweeping cuts to anti-poverty programs. The White House budget proposal, due to be unveiled on Tuesday, would reduce spending on anti-poverty programs from food stamps to tax credits and welfare payments by $274 billion over a decade, largely by tightening eligibility for these programs, according to administration officials. With additional reforms on Medicaid and disability insurance, total safety net cuts would top $1 trillion over 10 years. Making low-income Americans work to qualify for so-called welfare programs is a key theme of the budget. ‘If you are on food stamps and you are able bodied, we need you to go to work,’ said budget director Mick Mulvaney during a White House briefing on Monday.”