AFT President Randi Weingarten on Trump’s Healthcare Cuts

WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten released the following statement on President Trump’s healthcare budget:

“President Trump’s cruel healthcare cuts will make Americans sicker and poorer, as well as deny lifesaving care to those who need it the most. These callous cuts are on top of the president’s efforts to rip away healthcare from 24 million Americans. 

“Trump’s budget slashes more than $800 billion from Medicaid, gutting a program that more than 70 million low-income children, adults, people with disabilities, and the elderly rely on—and one the president promised to protect. On top of that, Trump handicaps our healthcare workforce by cutting training programs for nurses and doctors, and he undermines communities’ ability to combat the rise of the opioid epidemic.

“This budget leaves America’s poorest families with less access to food, healthcare and social services, and will have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable Americans. His sharp cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make our country less knowledgeable about and prepared to combat public health crises.”