Sen. Kaine says proposed budget speaks of “broken promises”

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine is part of the latest round of democratic lawmakers speaking out against the proposed budget released by the Trump administration.

Citing proposed cuts to Medicaid specifically, Senator Kaine says the budget reflects many "broken promises".

President Trump has long issued his stance on making cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

A tweet from May 2015, one month before he officially announced his 2016 presidential run, reads "I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. Huckabee copied me."

However, Kaine says the newly released budget on Tuesday would reduce Medicaid funding by a total of 1.3 trillion dollars over the next 10 years assuming the American Health Care Act is adopted. The program provides health coverage to low-income people. It is considered one of the largest payers for health care in the U.S.

He says this is concerning given "vulnerable people" who rely on Medicaid. In Virginia, just over one million people are recipients of Medicaid. That figure includes 600,000 children.

"112,000 are the elderly, largely receiving medicaid because they're in nursing homes. Our parents and grandparents," Senator Kaine told reporters during a teleconference Wednesday. "Another 186,000 Virginians who receive Medicaid are folks with disabilities."

Speaking at a budget hearing Wednesday, the Office of Management and Budget ('OMB') Director Mick Mulvaney defended the budget saying the foundation for the plan is three percent growth.

"I have news for you, both parties. If we do not get to three percent growth, it is unlikely that we'll ever balance the budget again and that is not a plan," says Mulvaney. "That is not a plan for the future. That is not moral to continue to money from people without having a plan to pay it back."

Senator Kaine says does agree with the proposed plans of increasing funds for defense efforts. The proposed budget includes a 10 percent increase for the Department of Defense, bringing the total funding to 574.8 billion dollars.

For a full copy of the budget, click here.