President Donald Trump said he would turn to cutting welfare spending after tax legislation is completed, according to House Republicans who were present for his remarks Thursday.
Trump said the administration will pivot to welfare programs next year, said Steve Womack of Arkansas and Matt Gaetz of Florida. Tax legislation in the House and Senate is estimated to reduce federal revenue by at least $1.4 trillion over the next decade.
House conservatives welcomed the comments. “I’m fired up,” said Jim Jordan, a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus. “Trump gets it.”
Jordan added that the president didn’t provide any details about which programs would see cuts.
During the campaign, Trump promised that he wouldn’t cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.
Tom Cole of Oklahoma said the president didn’t lay out whether he preferred the Senate proposal or House bill, and didn’t discuss whether a final bill should include a repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate. Trump tweeted his support of including the repeal in a tax overhaul earlier this month.
“This was mostly about, ‘Hey guys, we have an opportunity to do something historic. Let’s do it,”’ Cole said.
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