Twelve million Americans could find themselves less secure in their housing situation, if President Trump’s budget is approved by Congress.
Proposed cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) could see 8 million people lose public housing, while an additional 4 million could see rental subsidies disappear, according to a report published Sunday by The Washington Post.
The newspaper, which obtained the information in a “preliminary budget document,” said that overall outlined cuts to HUD would see the agency’s budget erode by $6 billion – a 14-percent reduction.
The Post noted that government-wide cuts being proposed by the White House would see the federal workforce scaled back by the largest magnitude “since the drawdown following World War II.”
The budget, however, is not expected to propose altering Medicaid or Social Security benefits. An initial proposal is expected to be published by the White House on Thursday.
The Trump administration wants to use reductions in non-defense spending to boost border control initiatives, including additions to the US-Mexico border wall. The White House also wants to augment the military’s already-massive budget.
Despite Republicans’ complaints about “sequestration” cuts – reductions mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 – the United States accounted for one-third of global military spending in 2016.
The White House is hoping that Congress will approve of a $54 billion boost to Pentagon coffers.
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