Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY), who was the first member of Congress to endorse President Donald Trump in the 2016 campaign, said on Thursday night that he does not support the administration’s proposal to cut funding for the Meals on Wheels program.
“This is the President’s budget, I’m not sure where the details came from. But when we get into appropriations, Meals on Wheels is a wonderful program. It is one I would never vote to cut even one dollar,” Collins told CNN’s Van Jones.
Trump’s budget blueprint release on Thursday eliminates the Community Development Block Grant program, which gives states money for projects like Meals on Wheels, a program that provides food to poor, elderly Americans.
During a press conference on Thursday, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney defended the cuts and suggested that the program doesn’t show “results.”
“The CDBGs have been identified as programs since the second Bush administration as ones that were just not showing any results. We can’t do that anymore,” he said. “We can’t spend money on programs just because they sound good. Great, ‘Meals on Wheels’ sounds great. That’s a state decision to fund that particular portion.”
