White House Proposal to Reduce CHIP Funding Through Rescission Withstands GAO Scrutiny

According to a snippet from PoliticoPro:

“The Government Accountability Office on Tuesday delivered a victory to the Trump administration by greenlighting a proposal to claw back more than $7 billion in unused cash from the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

In a report sent to congressional offices Tuesday morning, the GAO approved the vast majority of the administration’s $15.3 billion plan to cancel spending.

With that legal approval, the White House’s plan for so-called rescissions will likely retain its filibuster-proof powers in the GOP-controlled Senate, easing the way for potential passage with a simple majority vote.”

However, rumors are circulating that due to continuing hesitation from some congressional Republicans, the Administration might be willing to scale back the amount of cuts it requests. Additionally, while the President can send a “rescission” proposal to Congress, Congress must act within 45 days or else the proposal is voided and funding levels remain the same. As ANCOR has reported previously, there is little appetite, particularly in the Senate, to take up the proposal.