Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Hints He May Be Open To Cutting Medicare, Safety-Net Programs In Shift From 2016 Campaign Promises
The New York Times: Trump Opens Door To Cuts To Medicare And Other Entitlement Programs
President Trump suggested on Wednesday that he would be willing to consider cuts to social safety-net programs like Medicare to reduce the federal deficit if he wins a second term, an apparent shift from his 2016 campaign promise to protect funding for such entitlements. The president made the comments on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Despite promises to reduce the federal budget deficit, it has ballooned under Mr. Trump’s watch as a result of sweeping tax cuts and additional government spending. (Rappeport and Haberman, 1/22)
The Washington Post: Battle Over Social Security Spills Into 2020 Campaign As Democrats Spar And Trump Weighs In
Speaking with CNBC from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said tackling entitlement spending is “the easiest of all things” and seemed to suggest higher economic growth would make it simpler to cut spending on those programs. Those comments come amid a heated debate in the Democratic presidential primary over former vice president Joe Biden’s record on Social Security, just days before the Iowa caucuses. “At the right time, we will take a look at that. You know, that’s actually the easiest of all things, if you look,” Trump said. He later added when asked about entitlements: “Well, we’re going — we’re going to look. We also have assets that we’ve never had. I mean, we’ve never had growth like this.” (Stein and Viser, 1/22)
The Associated Press: Trump Suggests He May Be Open To Entitlement Cuts In Future
Early in his presidential campaign, Trump said he was a different sort of Republican, one who would not cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. The Medicaid promise was ultimately abandoned. The unsuccessful Republican drive to repeal “Obamacare” would have also limited future federal spending on that federal-state health insurance program for low-income people. More recently, Trump’s 2020 budget called for deep cuts in Medicare payments to hospitals. (Alonso-Zaldivar and Madhani, 1/22)
Axios: Trump Suggests Entitlement Cuts Could Come In His 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. (Perano, 1/22)
USA Today: Trump Opens Door To Changing Medicare, Other Programs At Davos
Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg criticized the president. "Over and over, Donald Trump promised Americans that he would not cut Social Security and Medicare. He lied," Sanders wrote on Twitter. "When we win, we're not going to just protect Social Security and Medicare, we're going to expand them." (Collins and Jackson, 1/22)
CNBC: Davos 2020: CNBC's Full Interview With President Trump
President Donald Trump returned to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, touting sustained growth in the American economy as well as his his recent trade agreements with Mexico and Canada, and China. On Wednesday, the president, who is undergoing an impeachment trial in the Senate, sat down with CNBC’s Joe Kernen to discuss trade, the U.S. economy and much more, including the president’s persistent complaints about the Federal Reserve’s rate policy. (Calia, 1/22)
