On Tuesday former Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton denounced Donald Trump's draft budget as reaching "an unimaginable level of cruelty" toward the poor and children.
"This administration and Republicans in Congress are mounting an onslaught against the needs of children and people with disabilities, women and seniors," Clinton said in her speech at a Children's Health Fund benefit event in New York City.
"It shows an unimaginable level of cruelty and lack of imagination and disdain for the struggles of millions of Americans, including millions of children," she claimed.
Another $1.5 trillion is planned to be saved due to budget cuts, unrelated to defense. In addition, programs aimed at combating poverty will see cuts amounting to $274 billion. Moreover, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as food stamps, will be reduced by $192 billion over the next decade.
At the same time, Trump's budget plan envisions increased spending on defense and security.
While the plan has prompted a heated debate among observers and US policymakers, Daniel Chaitin of the Washington Examiner wrote that Hillary Clinton merely "plays the children card in slamming Trump's budget."
"After declaring that she is 'ready to come out of the woods' in March, Clinton hasn't backed down from chiding Trump and his administration," Chaitin noted, reminding his readers that Clinton "launched a political group, Onward Together, earlier this month," aimed at building liberal resistance against Trump.
Speaking to Radio Sputnik, a Russian expert in American affairs, Alexander Domrin, noted that Clinton's words could make one cry.
"Whatever Trump does, everything would prompt her criticism, because she lost the [presidential] election," Domrin stressed.
"After all, when Trump joined the race, that was what he declared, and the working America voted for him," Domrin said, "[Besides], along with cuts to social programs, Trump begins to pursue a tax reform, which America has not yet seen. It envisages the reduction of the tax rate, including for small business, from 35-39 percent to 15 percent."
The expert pointed out that the budget has to be approved by Congress before entering into force.
"The budget will be adjusted," Domrin assumed. "The president can propose any initiatives, but if Congress does not endorse them, the president can do nothing about it."
He suggested that the Republicans wouldn't make serious corrections to Trump's budget. The expert admitted, however, that resistance has emerged among US lawmakers to the president's proposal.
"Trump offers a 28.7 percent reduction in the financing of the State Department," Domrin noted, adding that the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate are already fuming over these cuts.
Only time will tell what changes Trump's plan will undergo, the expert concluded.
