#LetThemDie: ‘Heartless’ Donald Trump Blasted For Killing Meals On Wheels Funds

[Auburn85 432]

 

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President Donald Trump is coming under fire for proposing a budget that includes the complete elimination of federal funding for Meals on Wheels programs.

Meals on Wheels provides food to the elderly, poor, veterans, disabled and others who often can’t leave their homes.

However, under the proposed budget, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s entire $3 billion Community Development Block Grant program would be eliminated, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

The grants fund services for low-income Americans ― including grants for Meals on Wheels programs.

Since most Meals on Wheels programs use funding from several sources, it’s unlikely the cuts would end the services. However, they could force many to reduce the number of people they are able to serve.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-meals-on-wheels_us_58ca35bee4b00705db4c21f6

[AURaptor 1,125]

16 hours ago, Auburn85 said:

they could force many to reduce the number of people they are able to serve.

Or not.

When ever I read the words " could, may, might ",... in association w/ govt funding, I automatically assume that the opposite is every bit as likely to be true. COULD be that funding to these programs is redundant, and that simply eliminating one or more of these lines of funding can still achieve the desired goals. 

 

Report: Redundant federal programs waste billions

 

WASHINGTON — Redundant federal programs are leading to billions in waste, congressional auditors say, and the government is slow to adopt reforms to fix the problem.

The White House says President Obama recognizes the problem and will propose eliminating redundant programs in the budget plan he releases Wednesday.

Among the 31 areas of duplicative spending, spelled out in a report by the Government Accountability Office obtained by USA TODAY:

 

[Auburn85 432]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2017/03/18/meals-on-wheels-sees-donation-surge-after-trump-proposes-funding-cuts/?utm_term=.6e11978629a7

 

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Meals on Wheels sees donation surge after Trump proposes funding cuts

 

 

Senior citizens in one suburb could see Meals on Wheels deliveries cut in half if President Trump’s budget cuts become reality, a spokeswoman for the network told CNN, as it anticipated “deep cuts” to a nonprofit that serves 2.4 million Americans.

Donations surged to 50 times their daily rate Thursday, the spokeswoman said, after the White House proposed eliminating the Community Development Block Grant program.

While the block grants fund only a small portion of Meals on Wheels’ operations nationwide, spokeswoman Jenny Bertolette told CNN that some of the group’s 5,000 local branches rely on the money to bring food to people.

A Meals on Wheels branch outside Detroit, she said, would lose one-third of its budget without the grants. The branch in San Jose, Calif., would lose $100,000.

And the organization has speculated that Trump’s vague budget outline could also slash the Older Americans Act, which it says funds more than one-third of its operations across the United States.

“Federal funding is at risk,” reads a banner ad that greets visitors to the nonprofit group’s website. “Help us defend these vital services today.”

The actual effect of next year’s budget on the program is unclear — in part because Trump’s budget plan is thin on details.

The proposed elimination of the $3 billion block grant program would mostly affect housing programs — not food services.

But the White House also proposes cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees a more than $800 million annual program that props up Meals on Wheels operations nationwide.

The budget outline doesn’t say what would happen to Older Americans Act funding, leaving Meals on Wheels officials to worry and wonder.

Trump’s proposals are still just that. Congressional members from both parties, who will ultimately decide the 2018 budget, have promised to protect the program.

The White House was “literally taking food away from seniors,” said Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), according to the Associated Press.

Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.) said he ran Meals on Wheels deliveries himself.

But defending its proposals, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said the government “can’t spend money on programs just because they sound good — and great.”

 

 

[japantiger 4,051]

Blah Blah Blah...we're all racist, homophobic, xenophobic, pick-a-phobic and want Granny to starve...blah, blah blah....if it's important, the states will do it...

[AURaptor 1,125]

I've noticed a reoccurring theme w/ some organizations, that when the federal $ is threatened to be taken away, they rally around and the free market  ' somehow '  ponies up the $ anyways. 

Doesn't that only prove the point ? These are not proper functions of govt spending. Even if they're in our moral wheel house, that's not what govt is for. 

 

[TitanTiger 20,483]

It's not a proper function of government to ensure its citizens who cannot provide for themselves don't fall through the cracks?  The government isn't even doing the work here.  It's simply identifying private charities that are doing the work and helping them reach more people.

[japantiger 4,051]

6 hours ago, TitanTiger said:

It's not a proper function of government to ensure its citizens who cannot provide for themselves don't fall through the cracks?  The government isn't even doing the work here.  It's simply identifying private charities that are doing the work and helping them reach more people.

HHhhhhmmmm, the last time I checked, the States, The Counties and the Cities all had governments....every problem is not a federal problem.

How about this as an alternative...maybe we take all that money that Obama pissed away on his way out the door and use that for this program if it's really important...how about that...you know, make choices...like real people do....set priorities...

We should cut a hell of a lot more....

[TitanTiger 20,483]

...Or we could not add $54 billion to a defense budget that is already larger than the next 8 biggest military budgets in the world combined as a sop to defense contractors.

Trump's approach to this is like a household seeing that they having gotten themselves into a really serious debt problem with credit cards and other installment loans and that they are spending far more money than they bring in from their jobs, but deciding to start skipping prescriptions that cost $10 on health insurance every other month....but then buying a private airplane and a new car.  We're spending tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars a year for Melania and Baron to stay in NY rather than live at the WH, but we can't afford to help more elderly people get a square meal.  #priorities

[AUUSN 823]

Got to love hearing these budget hawks when all this budget does is shift money around. The Trump 2018 budget is actually more than Obama's.

[Barnacle 9,064]

How much of MOW's annual budget is reliant upon federal funding?

[wdefromtx 3,159]

Cash me outside..............................................................................................................................................

 

 

 

 

how bout dat?!? 

[MDM4AU 332]

While I don't agree with Trump, it's worth noting that MOW would lose about 3% of it's funding from this. In the article I read even MOW was saying it's not that big of deal and isn't going to shut them down. I will see if I can find it again.

[AUFAN78 3,910]

6 minutes ago, MDM4AU said:

While I don't agree with Trump, it's worth noting that MOW would lose about 3% of it's funding from this. In the article I read even MOW was saying it's not that big of deal and isn't going to shut them down. I will see if I can find it again.

I hope you can find that article as it would directly speak to the disingenuous nature of the Huffpo article. Which should come as no surprise BTW.  #LetThemDie

[Auburn85 432]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/16/politics/meals-on-wheels-trump-budget-blueprint/

 

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About 3% of the budget for Meals on Wheels' national office comes from government grants (84% comes from individual contributions and grants from corporations and foundations), but the national association provides support and representation for a larger network of 5,000 independently operated local groups, Bertolette said.

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