BUDGET/CONGRESS/HEALTHCARE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House is seeking to cut funding from the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, as part of its larger request for cuts to the federal budget in a rescissions package sent to Congress this week. The request from President Donald Trump includes a $7 billion cut to the popular program, part of $15 billion in overall cuts. Some $2 billion would come from a contingency fund that was created to prevent states from running out of money, with the rest coming from funding that Congress has authorized for the program but states haven’t spent. The administration defended the cuts, telling reporters Monday [5-7-18] the money would come from untapped leftover funds and wouldn’t affect operations at CHIP or in other health care areas…While it’s unlikely that the package will pass Congress in the midterm election year, Trump’s move opens some painful wounds for Congress. Lawmakers recently struggled for months to fund the program that is highly valued by parents and by officials on both sides of the political aisle. CHIP covers about 9 million children whose parents usually earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private health coverage — typically no more than $62,000 for a family of four. The 20-year-old program is paid for almost entirely by the federal government.”
-Tami Luhby and Betsy Klein, “White House requests cuts to children’s health insurance funding,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, May 9, 2018 2:36 pm