{"articles":[{"reaction_config":[{"text":"Support","color":"#2ca788","stance":"support"},{"text":"Oppose","color":"#ef3e42","stance":"oppose"}],"id":41197,"title":"Trump Suggests Cuts to Entitlement Programs Could Come in His Second Term - Would You Support Cuts?","html_content":"

by Axios | 1.22.20

President Trump suggested in an interview with CNBC at the World Economic Forum Wednesday that he may consider cutting entitlement programs if elected to a second term.

Why it matters: Trump shied away from committing to cuts to social safety-net programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security during his 2016 campaign. But his willingness to consider such measures now marks a shift that would likely appeal to the deficit hawks in the Republican Party.

Trump said in his 2015 campaign launch speech that America needs to \"save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts.\"
Asked by CNBC Wednesday if cuts to entitlements would now be something he'd consider, Trump responded: \"At the right time, we will take a look at that.\"
Asked directly about cuts to Medicare, Trump reiterated: \"We're going to look,\" but did not offer specifics.

The big picture: The president's latest budget proposal already called for $1.9 trillion in cost savings from mandatory safety-net programs like Medicare and Medicaid, as well as $26 billion less in spending on Social Security programs, the New York Times notes.

Between the lines, via Axios' Jonathan Swan: ‪Trump has spoken often, privately, about a “year five” of fiscal discipline. Some view this as a way of appeasing freedom caucus types and fiscal hawks in the administration.

One aide told Axios they were deeply skeptical he would follow through and said they considered it a way to get the hawks off his back until November 2020.‬

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Wounded veterans constitute a significant percentage of my students, as do minorities and international students. I suppose I had naively imagined that progress had been made on social issues during the 1970s, but everything negative seems to be hanging around, and the new administration in Washington worries and offends me. I feel compelled to voice my concerns because America cannot survive without reason, compassion, and an energetic sense of humor.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"verymary","issue_count":13,"is_following":null,"influence_score":4720,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":178,"following_count":483,"position_count":161,"id":"jZB7LVzm","partner_id":null},{"name":"jimK","vote_count":572,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/large_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/small_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/tiny_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/following","followers":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/followers"},"about_me":"Retired, Politically Independent. Won’t listen to slogans, chanted mantras or generally any kind of marketing spin or “rebranding” crap. I firmly believe that everyone else is entitled to their erroneous opinions. Citizen vigilance and due diligence is price we must pay to live in a thriving, functional democracy.\nI fear that our citizens are too easily swayed by politician’s pablum about “babies”, “jobs” and now, in particular, perceived “enemies”. I fear that a citizenry focused on the “here-and-now” is easily tricked by short term benefits that have negative long-term consequences. I fear that our legislators are more concerned about buffing their constituents than looking out for the long-term welfare of our country- and are way too eager to provide those short-term benefits to the “here-and-now” crowd.\nI fear that honor is generally being sacrificed/replaced by expediency. I hear politicians eloquently argue for one side of an issue and later, when it’s to their benefit, just as eloquently argue for the opposite side. OK, so they are good at arguing- but what is that they actually believe? What is it that they actually stand for? An honorable person has values that persist even when it is not convenient or expedient. An honorable person has a moral compass that stops them from doing something wrong even if it is not illegal. A foul is a foul- even if the referee doesn’t catch you.\nI fear that each of our federal governmental branches have devised or discovered shortcuts which tend to protect them from the checks and balances our founders intended.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"jimk","issue_count":4,"is_following":null,"influence_score":48330,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":1636,"following_count":88,"position_count":570,"id":"9odrQBnb","partner_id":null}],"article_comment":{"flagged":false,"id":1173012,"body":"Stop the assault on the lower income people, children, the disabled, and elderly. The social safety needs expanding, not contraction. If the president wants to cut spending, he can can go after that outrageous miltary budget which is full of graft and pork-barrel!\n","parent_type":"Article","parent_id":41197,"created_at":"2020-01-23T15:24:04.159Z","liked":false,"like_count":2,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/comments/1173012","likers":"https://www.causes.com/api/v1/likers?likeable_id=1173012&likeable_type=Comment"},"article_id":41197,"shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/comments/1173012.png","note":{"text":"Oppose","color":"#ef3e42","stance":"oppose"},"note_text":"Oppose","note_color":"#ef3e42","user_id":"NZaBNwym","liker_ids":["jZB7LVzm","9odrQBnb"]}}

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