Trump Voters May Be the Ones Most Affected By Trump’s Proposed Budget Cuts

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Krista Shockey is just one of the many low-income and disabled Americans receiving aid from the country’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI). While monthly payment is only a little over $700 a month, it is her only income, Shockey revealed to CNNMoney when her and a reporter met at a diner in a small town in southern Ohio named Waverly. When the reporter told her that Donald Trump wanted to decrease funding for the SSI, she was shocked. Shockey explained that she hadn’t been following the news as her mother died recently and she’d been dealing with family.

In November, Shockey had voted for Trump. Now, she could very well be one of the people who will be hurt by Trump’s proposed cuts. Besides the SSI, Trump is also proposing to dramatically decrease funding for food stamps (known formerly as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP), Medicaid, student loans, welfare (known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF), and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), amongst other things.

The recently released budget has been labeled as a “taxpayer first” plan, with the goal being to get people off welfare and into full-time paying jobs. But for someone like Shockey, going back to work is a near-impossible feat.

“There’s no way I could go back to work,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of problems. I’m crippled in my feet, knees, back, hands.”

It’s not just Shockey who was surprised at Trump’s proposed budget cuts. When CNNMoney reached out to those on government-aid or who work closely with the poor that had voted for Trump back in November, most were also shocked.

Beattyville, Kentucky

Those who resided in Beattyville, Kentucky, also known as America’s “poorest white town”, voted largely for Trump back in November. Now, it might be one of the most affected towns under Trump’s proposed cuts — 57% of households receive food stamps and 58% receive disability payments.

Some of its residents don’t seem too concerned for now though, as Barbara Puckett, a woman who has been on Social Security disability since the late 1990s, said, “I am still happy with President Trump.” She did express worry should the budget become implemented and result in her losing her benefits. In the present time though, Trump’s budget remains just a proposal and Puckett is still receiving her benefits.

William Owens, a pastor in Beattyville who also serves as a volunteer fire chief and chairman of the local school board, defended Trump’s proposal. Owens said that Trump simply wanted to give more control to states and local governments when it comes to how welfare money is being used.

Owen’s statement can be referred back to the beliefs of Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney. Mulvaney, a former lawmaker in South Carolina, firmly thinks that state governments would be better at creating welfare and social-aid programs than politicians at the federal level. Mulvaney cited his previous experience as a lawmaker in South Carolina, saying, “We would see this program come down from Washington with all of these instructions on how to use it, and say, goodness gracious, this won’t work in South Carolina.”

Although Owens defended Trump’s decisions, he admits that he sees both sides of the continued debate on government aid. He had grown up as one of 14 children in an extremely poor family that relied on Social Security. His father was disabled and wasn’t able to work. Today, Owens has made it his personal mission to get people out of poverty, working with many families that rely on government aid to get by.

While he knows that they truly need the help, he also sees how some families can become dependent on the aid. As such, Owens think some of the aid should be cut — believing more in a hand up instead of a handout.

For Tyra Johnson, another resident of Beattyville, it’s a different story. A 39-year-old mother of two, Johnson is currently employed but she and her family still receive food stamps. Johnson makes $8 an hour working as a housekeeper at a hotel, she told CNNMoney. It’s not enough to get off food stamps.

Johnson’s current situation is a lot like many — about one-third of families who receive food stamps have at least one person who works, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The problem is that they simply don’t earn enough to put food on the table when there are also other bills like rent and electricity to worry about.

If Trump’s proposed budget becomes a reality, she wouldn’t know what to do, Johnson said. Besides food stamps, her two kids also receive government-funded health care.

Johnson seems to be doing what both Trump-supporter Owens believes (a hand up, not a hand out) and what Trump wants (getting out of some government aid by working). After receiving $700 from SSDI for a while due to being in a car crash, Johnson had gotten a job. While she still needs food stamps and Medicare, Johnson is now off the benefits provided by SSDI.

Despite being someone who is doing exactly what Trump wants, Johnson was one of the handfuls of people in Beattyville who did not vote for Trump. “I’m still trying to process all of this,” Johnson said.

Around 44 million Americans are currently receiving food stamps — the number had increased when many people lost their jobs during the Great Recession in 2013. Although the number of people who need food stamps has decreased somewhat, it’s still a lot higher when compared to the 26 million Americans on food stamps before the financial crisis had hit.

Oren Cass, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, believes that social-aid programs are the solution to returning to an economy prior to the Great Recession. However, advocates for the poor argue that — while social aid does play an essential part in helping those in need — the main problem now is low-pay. Families like Johnson’s are still receiving food stamps because their jobs don’t pay high enough wages for them to even have a chance at getting out of severe poverty.

As many express concerns of Trump’s proposed budget plans, it is important to note that it’s not set in stone. In fact, it is Congress that gets to ultimately decide which programs will receive more or less money. As well, lawmakers will most likely be making several changes to Trump’s plan.

Still, Trump’s proposed budget cuts have revealed his true colors: he does not intend to keep the promises he had made during his campaign — like not cutting Medicare, for example. Like Shockey, the news will be a wake-up call for many who are on government aid that voted for Trump in November.

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About the author: Grace is currently studying at UBC to achieve her BA in Computer Science. She is due to graduate in 2020. As a content creator, Grace has written financial analysis, stock market news, and informational investing articles. She also worked as an editor with her university publication 'UBC Undergraduate Journal of Art History'.