What Bush Wants to Trim

Adult Literacy

Money for certain adult education programs would be cut by two-thirds.

Amtrak

Funding would be cut by 70 percent; nearly a quarter of Amtrak’s customers are age 55 and older.

Energy Assistance

Funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program would be cut by 10 percent.

Housing

• Proposed funding for the program that builds housing specially designed for the elderly is 25 percent lower than in 2002.
• Money for housing for people with disabilities would be cut by half, with no new construction.
• Funds for low-rent public housing — where one-third of residents are older people — would be decreased.
• Loans for building and restoring rental housing for the poor in rural areas would be scaled back 75 percent. (A proposed voucher program would assist some displaced residents.)

Independent Living

Programs under the Older Americans Act, such as Meals on Wheels and Family Caregiver Support, would be cut or frozen at 2002 levels.

Jobs

Funding cuts are proposed for the employment program that provides part-time, minimum-wage job opportunities for low-income older people.

Medicaid

Spending would be cut by $60 billion over the next decade, with some new money for home- and community-based care instead of nursing home care. By closing loopholes, the budget could make it harder to transfer assets before qualifying for nursing home coverage. Funding for managing the cases of people with chronic diseases would be reduced.

Medical Research

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s $4.5 billion budget would be cut by $500 million, hitting research and preventive health programs the hardest.

Nutrition

Funding cuts over the next 10 years—combined with changes to eligibility requirements for the Food Stamp Program—mean that between 200,000 and 300,000 low-income people could lose aid.

Veterans’ Drug Costs

Veterans could pay twice as much in prescription drug copayments and a $250 annual enrollment fee.