President Donald Trump is hiding a devastating trick up his sleeve that he plans to play after the midterms, according to one analyst.
Last year, Trump and Republicans in Congress passed a bill that delayed implementation of drastic reductions in Medicaid spending and new work requirements for social benefits until after the midterms. That could put a newly seated Congress in a tough bind, according to veteran journalist Dan Rather.
"It’s not just the current mess we’re in, but what’s coming next," Rather argued in a new Substack essay. "It is not hard to see why Trump is waiting until after the election to launch the most potentially devastating part of his agenda."
Beginning in January, Rather noted that federal spending on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would be slashed, likely causing some rural hospitals and food banks to close their doors.
The Trump administration has defended the cuts as a way to reduce the federal deficit. But Rather noted that the estimated $1 trillion in savings from the cuts pales in comparison to the $4 billion in tax cuts Trump has given to the rich.
"Is this who we are?" Rather wrote. "Targeting the most vulnerable among us and labeling it as a way to root out “waste, fraud and abuse” while giving rich people tax cuts? It is not only amoral, but it is also tone-deaf. So is deporting legal immigrants and abandoning their children. Trump and his MAGA loyalists may not understand how unpopular these policies are, but indications increase that voters are listening and not liking what they hear."