Trump budget increases Medicare funding $4 trillion in next decade

After seeing dozens of news reports about “devastating cuts” to Medicaid, you might think the Trump budget reduces the amount of spending on Medicaid. In reality, the proposed spending for Medicaid would increase by $4.7 trillion during the next decade.

Welcome to the world of baseline budgeting. Forecasters assume spending will go up in future years, and if a new budget still spends more – but less than what was planned previously – the media gets to use the “cut” word and liberal politicians get to claim “this budget will kill people.”

I have a huge problem with the way the media deals with this. But it really should be expected, since most are in total support of the liberal agenda – and the goal to destroy the Trump administration. You’ll have to ask them why they refuse to take just a few moments to provide the real information, instead of dishing out not even half the story.

Let’s say you take over leadership of a large sports apparel marketing department. Your budget this year is $1 million, and your predecessor’s budget assumed a $100,000 increase in spending every year for the next 10 years. Eventually, the budget would be $2 million per year.

You’ve been hired to run the department more efficiently, while still providing a quality product and good service. You work with your team and come up with a budget that increases $50,000 each year for the next 10 years. Your budget will be $1.5 million per year 10 years from now.

After you release your budget plans and inform the media, the financial reporters announce you’re cutting the marketing budget to the tune of $500,000 over the next decade. How absolutely absurd is that?

That’s exactly what the mainstream media does. And the liberal politicians love it. They absolutely love to cry wolf, claiming the Republicans and the Trump administration have no problem with kids and adults dying with “no access” to health care. Right from the playbook.

ABC News is the only mainstream media outlet to attempt to explain this. That said, they still used the term “artfully evasive” when referring to Budget Director Mick Mulvaney’s real-world, easy-to-understand explanation. But still, right there in the story, they admit…

So, yes, Medicaid spending would increase by $4.7 trillion over a decade.

I guess they figured they had to explain things in a “AP Fact Check” article.

Below, is Mulvaney’s tutorial during a press conference earlier this week.

Wondering how bad it is? Just take a look at media headlines concerning Trump’s budget. Keep in mind, the proposed budget* does not cut funding dollars much at all, if anything. The federal government spends more and more every year.

The above are just a few of the examples. In my world, if you spend more money next year than you did this year, you’re increasing your budget. Sure, many will claim it’s “more complicated” implying you’re too stupid to understand. Many will state it’s important to look at budget numbers as a percentage of GDP. Many will state it’s important to consider inflation. Fine, do that if you wish, but stop claiming there are cuts. Be honest, and say the budget reduces the previous administration’s rate of growth. We’re spending more than previous years, just not as much as proposed previously.

Don’t let the media and Washington insiders brainwash you with claims of “devastating cuts” to any program when the federal government’s budget for those programs continues to grow.

* The Trump Administration did remove the budget [PDF format] from the White House website. Do you blame them? In the document they clearly show increases in spending, but the media ignores the facts. I don’t blame them for pulling it, why bother even publishing it if the media will lie about it?

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

1 Comment

  1. Lynn on May 30, 2017 at 11:16 am

    As always, great post Steve. I thought I understood budgets, but I guess I don’t understand newspeak. You made the spin easy to understand. I’m sure your explanation does not fit the agenda of the elte, who know all, except truth.



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