House speaker proud of budget that rips away health care for millions

[Igel]

4. It's gotten overgeneralized real quick.

Then again, that's American click-bait media.

The budget blueprint, which Republicans released on Wednesday, calls for $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid and $230 billion in cuts to food stamps over a 10-year period.

Let's make at least the first claim accurate. The blueprint calls for the Energy and Commerce Committee to propose cuts of $880 billion from the portion of the budget it has control over. Is that just Medicaid? Clearly not, otherwise it would be named the "Medicaid Committee".

Now, their jurisdiction certainly includes "health", which also includes, among other things, Medicaid. Their summary of what's covered:

The health sector broadly, including private and public health insurance (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP); biomedical research and development; hospital construction; mental health; health information technology, privacy, and cybersecurity; medical malpractice and medical malpractice insurance; the 340B drug discount program; the regulation of food, drugs, and cosmetics; drug abuse; the Department of Health and Human Services; the National Institutes of Health; the Centers for Disease Control; Indian Health Service; and all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security.

But it also includes areas of energy, environment, technology, communication, commerce, manufacturing and trade. In other words, "energy" and "commerce." Nothing says the entire amount all has to come from Medicaid; nothing says any of that amount has to come from Medicaid. I think it's highly likely some, perhaps a large portion, will. But there are a lot of buckets to find that $880B in and making a claim that predictably will be falsified seems a bit clickbait-y.

For example, can you think of anything the Trumpistas would find objectable and eminently cuttable in

National Energy Policy, energy infrastructure and security, energy related Agencies and Commissions, all laws, programs, and government activities affecting energy matters. National Energy Policy focuses on fossil energy; renewable energy; nuclear energy; energy conservation, utility issues, including but not limited to interstate energy compacts; energy generation, marketing, reliability, transmission, siting, exploration, production, efficiency, cybersecurity, and ratemaking for all generated power. Energy infrastructure and security focuses on pipelines, the strategic petroleum reserve, nuclear facilities, and cybersecurity for our nation’s grid. Our jurisdiction also includes all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security. Agencies and Commissions in our jurisdiction include: The US Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

I certainly can. The quote could have as easily been, "The budget blueprint, which Republicans released on Wednesday, calls for $880 billion in cuts to renewable energy and conservation and $230 billion in cuts to food stamps over a 10-year period." But while no less inaccurate, it doesn't grab the average reader in the same way.