'Giving Away the Game,' Top Republican Links Attack on Poor to Tax Cuts for Rich

The chairman of the House GOP's policy committee confirmed Wednesday that President Donald Trump's chaotic and destructive effort to slash federal spending—including key anti-poverty programs—is tied to the new administration's attempt to enact another round of tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit the rich and large corporations.

"If you're going to cut taxes and send money back home, then you also need to stop the spigot in Washington, D.C.," Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) told Politico. "You can't do both."

The comments from Hern, who previously chaired a Republican panel that called for sweeping cuts to Social Security benefits, were seen as further evidence of the end-goal of the Trump administration's aggressive and unlawful attempts to axe funding already approved by Congress.

Kobie Christian, a spokesperson for the advocacy coalition Unrig Our Economy thanked Hern for "giving away the game—that the real reason Republicans seem so adamant about cutting impactful and popular programs that families depend on is to pay for even more massive tax breaks for billionaires and corporations."

"This week," Christian added, "President Trump and Republicans in Congress demonstrated that they would happily cut things like Meals on Wheels, housing assistance, and food for mothers and young children in order to deliver for the rich."

"They are looking to cut programs and cut services so that they can fund the tax breaks for the billionaires."

Since early January, House Republicans have been considering a menu of options that floats over $2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, a program that provides healthcare to tens of millions of low-income Americans—including millions of children.

Meanwhile, as ProPublica noted Thursday, the document proposes eliminating the federal estate tax for the ultrawealthy "at an estimated cost of $370 billion in revenue for the government over a decade."

"The tax, which charges a percentage of the value of a person's fortune after they die, kicks in only for estates worth more than around $14 million," the outlet noted. "Another proposal aims to slash the top tax rate paid by corporations by almost a third."

After the Trump White House said Wednesday that its far-reaching assault on federal funding would continue even after the withdrawal of an Office of Management and Budget memo that sparked nationwide mayhem, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) warned that "this is the blueprint for the Trump administration and for the Republican majority."

"They are looking to cut programs and cut services so that they can fund the tax breaks for the billionaires," said Escobar. "Even if there was some kind of victory today with the withdrawal of the memo, this battle is ongoing. And their effort to effectively defund the federal government in order to provide those tax cuts is going to be an ongoing fight."