‘It Is A Red Flag’: Lawmakers Balk At Trump’s Proposal To Cut Funding For Popular CHIP Program
Administration officials say the proposed $7 billion cut wouldn't negatively affect the Children’s Health Insurance Program, because it would target an emergency fund that states can tap into if they have higher-than expected enrollment and other money that can't be spent.
The Wall Street Journal:
Congress Leery Of Trump’s Cuts To Children’s Health Program
President Donald Trump’s proposal to roll back $7 billion from the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program drew immediate bipartisan concern Tuesday, an indication of the hurdles the effort to cut federal spending will face in the Senate. The proposed cuts to the children’s health program quickly emerged as the most contentious element of Mr. Trump’s request that Congress rescind about $15 billion in funds that had been previously authorized but not spent. “It is a red flag with me,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R., W.Va.) said of the proposed CHIP cuts, noting she was reviewing the proposal. “I’ve been a big proponent of CHIP from the beginning. It’s vital to our state.” (Peterson, 5/8)
Kaiser Health News:
4 Takeaways From Trump’s Plan To Rescind CHIP Funding
President Donald Trump wants to employ a rarely used budget maneuver called “rescission” to eliminate $15 billion in federal spending, including $7 billion from the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Administration officials insist the cuts wouldn’t negatively affect any programs — rather, they would merely return money into the Treasury that Congress appropriated but is no longer needed. ... But child health advocates are wary, particularly since the proposal comes a few months after Congress let funding authorization for CHIP lapse, which forced states to request millions in emergency contingency funds to keep children covered. (Galewitz, 5/8)
