The House of Representatives will take up a Republican budget next week that proposes to drastically change Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, Social Security, and student loan programs.
The Republican budget would balance the budget in ten years, mainly by slashing social and entitlement programs. The Democrats, of course, oppose the plan.
Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen told Fox News there would probably be opposition to the Republican plan.
“I’m confident that Democrats will oppose this budget. You can never say for sure. But last year, it was 100 percent.”
The budget proposed by Republicans, unveiled Tuesday, proposes to cut $5.5 trillion from social programs over the next ten years while increasing the military budget at the same time and without raising taxes.
If it passes, the Republican budget would dismantle the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, and change Medicaid into block grants given out to the states who would then be responsible for it.
They also propose privatizing Medicare and forcing people to buy health insurance on the open market.
Republicans think the entitlement program has grown too large and has no business using taxpayer money to pay for things like sex changes .
Social Security, meanwhile, is left to fend for itself, as House Republicans have no plans to shore up the SS Disability Trust Fund, which will run out of money next year.
The budget would also freeze student loan programs at their current levels. The plan would freeze the Pell grant at $5,775 for the next 10 years instead of adjusting it to inflation, according to the Washington Post .
Meanwhile, the Republican-led Senate also announced a budget proposal last week that would cut many entitlement programs. It doesn’t go as far as the House budget, though.
The Democrats, of course, don’t agree with the proposed budget.
Obama and fellow Democrats presented an alternative plan that would preserve many of the social programs and increase defense spending.
Obama told the Motley Fool the House Republican budget was bad for America and bad for the middle class.
“What we’re seeing right now is a failure to invest in education, infrastructure, research, and national defense. All the things that we need to grow, need to create jobs, to stay at the forefront of innovation and to keep our country safe.”
In the coming weeks, the two sides will have to hash out a deal to keep the government running and the impetus is on the Republican to show they have the power to govern now that they control both the House and Senate.
