Mark Parkinson

President Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2018 was published on Tuesday, and it shows higher cuts to Medicaid funding than previously anticipated.

Media outlets reported Monday that the budget plan would include the more than $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid anticipated over time under the GOP’s House-passed healthcare legislation. The inclusion of those cuts in the budget suggests Trump would eventually reject plans being discussed in the Senate to retain Medicaid expansion under their version of the bill, The Washington Post noted.

The full budget plan includes an additional $610 billion slashed from the Medicaid program over the next decade. The budget would give states the choice between per-person caps and block grants that will allow “States to innovate and prioritize Medicaid dollars to the most vulnerable populations.”

“Medicaid, which inadequately serves enrollees and taxpayers, must be reformed to allow States to manage their own programs, with continued financial support from the Federal Government,” the budget reads.

The American Health Care Association urged Congress to review the budget and “ensure Medicaid funding will meet the needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities.”

“Drastic Medicaid cuts like those included in this budget would jeopardize access to care for the most vulnerable in our society,” AHCA President and CEO Mark Parkinson said in a statement. “Protecting the frail and elderly is important both today and in the coming years when demand will dramatically increase.”

The proposal also received backlash from GOP and Democratic lawmakers alike, with one Republican Senator deeming it “dead on arrival” and a colleague calling the cuts to safety net programs such as Medicaid “draconian.”

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) said cutting funds from the Medicaid “lifeline” would be “devastating” and “would force many seniors out of nursing homes.”