On Tuesday during a Children’s Health Fund event in New York City, Hillary Clinton encouraged Americans to resist Trump's budget proposal. She characterized the budget plan as being unbelievably cruel and suggested without hesitation that congressional Republicans and Trump are "mounting an onslaught against the needs of children and people with disabilities, women, and seniors." Trump released his first formal budget proposal earlier that same day, though there is reason to believe it's already facing an uphill battle in Congress.
Speaking at the annual benefit, Clinton slammed the budget proposal's potential effects on sick and poor Americans, accusing it of showing a "lack of imagination and disdain for the struggles of millions of Americans, including millions of children."
This is how ideologues justify punishing the sick and the poor. Poverty is neither a crime, nor a character flaw. Stigmatize those who let people die, not those who struggle to live.
Trump's budget proposal entails cutting over $800 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. Among other funding cuts, the plan would also cut disability benefits by $72 billion and $272 billion from welfare programs. In addition to cutting programs that assist America's vulnerable adults, Clinton also claimed the proposal, if enacted, would be devastating for children. “It hurts the well-being of children,” she expressed. “It’s time to send a resounding message that we will not stand for this attack on the most vulnerable among us.”
Over the past several weeks, Clinton has become more vocal after losing the electoral college vote in November 2016's presidential election. Earlier in May, she announced the creation of a new political action committee (PAC) called Onward Together that will fund anti-Trump resistance organizations. And during her interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour that same month, she let America know, "I'm now back to being an activist citizen and part of the resistance." It seemed as though her Children Health Fund speech was a continuation of that activist spirit.
And though it's important to stand up against Trump's budget proposal if you disagree with it, there's a slim chance it will go through Congress as it was initially presented. CNN's Deirdre Walsh and Ted Barrett, for example, described the proposal as being more akin to a "political wishlist," as these types of things traditionally undergo several revisions before appealing to both the House and Senate. Then again, 2017 has proven to be full of surprises and Republicans control both the House and Senate. So, it's never too early to take a stand.
