Rep. Hanabusa Comments on Trump’s $15 Billion Spending Cuts Plan

Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, a member of the House Democratic Caucus Leadership, issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s plan to cut $15 billion from targeted programs in the FY18 omnibus spending package:

It’s absolute shibai for President Trump to propose $7 billion in cuts to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and $800 million in cuts from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, amongst other reductions, after Congress passed and the president signed the FY18 omnibus spending bill into law on March 23, 2018.

More than 344,000 people in Hawai‘i, including about 107,000 low-income children, rely on Medicaid and CHIP. Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP are critical to supporting the health of our islands’ keiki, our residents living with disabilities and our kūpuna. This is the latest disturbing example of the Trump Administration seeking to save money by cutting away at the social safety nets that help support the most vulnerable members of our communities. I call on my colleagues in the House to join me in opposing these unfair and absurd cuts.