Clinton slams Trump’s budget: ‘An unimaginable level of cruelty’

Hillary Clinton bashed President Trump’s newly unveiled federal budget plan on Tuesday, saying the plan reached “an unimaginable level of cruelty.”

Clinton gave the keynote address at the Children’s Health Fund Annual Benefit on Tuesday night just hours after the Trump administration revealed the details of its first major budget proposal. The former Democratic presidential nominee sharply criticized the plan.

“This administration is mounting an onslaught against the needs of children, people with disabilities, women and seniors,” Clinton said. 

“Poverty is neither a crime, nor a character flaw. Stigmatize those who let people die, not those who struggle to live,” Clinton continued, quoting from an essay in author Sarah Kendzior’s book “The View From Flyover Country.”

{mosads}Trump’s budget proposal seeks $1.4 trillion in cuts to Medicaid over the course of a decade and $1.5 trillion in nondefense discretionary cuts. It also seeks to cut $274 billion from anti-poverty programs, including $193 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the modern version of food stamps.

It also slashes the budget for disability insurance offered through Social Security. Trump pledged throughout the 2016 campaign to not cut Social Security programs.

Clinton has emerged as a fierce critic of Trump after keeping a relatively low profile following her election loss. In late March, the former secretary of State blasted Trump’s initial budget proposal, specifically for its cuts to the State Department.

“This administration’s proposed cuts to international health, development, and diplomacy would be a blow to women and children and a grave mistake to our country,” Clinton said at the time.

In April, she took a swipe at the administration, saying she was “pretty worried” as an American. And earlier this month, Clinton announced the formation of a new political action organization, Onward Together, which will fundraise for five prominent progressive groups.