Trump Voter Devastated to Learn President's Budget Cuts Target Her Lone Income Source

Alexandra Rosenmann
,
 AlterNet
and
 Alexandra Rosenmann
May 26, 2017

It didn't take long after the release of Trump's budget for Trump voter Krista Shockey to find out just what she had to lose. Turns out, it was her Supplemental Security Income. The federal income supplement program pays disabled low-income Americans approximately $700 a month. Shockey had no idea it would be downsized in Trump's plan. That is, until CNN called her.

"It's my only income," she said shortly before the 2016 presidential election, in a CNN Money interview in Waverly, Ohio.

After learning about Trump's planned cuts, including to SSI, Shockey told CNN, devastated, "There's no way I could go back to work."

"I've got a lot of problems," she explained. "I'm crippled in my feet, knees, back, hands."

As a lifelong Democrat, Shockey took a leap of faith in November when she voted for Trump. She said she considered both major party nominees "very flawed," but believed Trump would be better on issues like immigration, national security and the economy. 

The White House defends its elimination of 66 federal programs as a necessary component of its "taxpayer first" budget plan. But the $26.7 billion cut is predicted to hurt many of Trump's voters the most. 

According to CNN, "Trump's goal is to get millions of people off welfare and into full-time jobs. For Shockey, that won't be easy." 

Report typos and corrections to: feedback@alternet.org.

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