Where’s the Reciprocity, Mr. Trump?

Comic depicting Trump asking for budget funds from a disabled person in a wheelchair

Ken Martin

Thank God we have a voice in America when it comes to our health benefits, as well as affordable and stable housing for the homeless. President Donald Trump seemed to want to eliminate this with his Ryancare proposal.

Now the administration wants to cut the budget in a way that will critically affect my living situation.

These cuts occur as Trump and his wife jet off to Mar-a-Lago for vacations.

Also, Melania, the first lady, and her son Barron are staying in New York’s Trump Tower as opposed to the White House, a separate residence that will be absorbed by the taxpayer at a cost of millions.

How can the House and Senate allow the White House to make the proposed cuts to the living standards of millions of Americans, while Trump and others run up massive bills at the taxpayers’ expense?

One weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago costs the taxpayer $3.3 million, security costs included, as well as $85,000 for overtime pay for local law enforcement, according to the BBC.

A local skywriter whose business depends on using his plane to advertise has lost $65,000 because the president has a 10-mile no-fly zone wherever he goes. The company owner, who employs three other pilots, says Trump’s frequent trips mean his business may not last after this summer and has lost several clients.

$3.3 million is quite a sum! That money could have easily gone into the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and advocating for the homeless. There is a crucial need for affordable housing that we are not meeting.


 

Aida Basnight is a vendor/artist for Street Sense.

information about New Signature, a Washington DC tech solutions and consulting firm

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