Former Office of Management and Budget Director Leon Panetta called President Trump’s pledge to not touch entitlement spending on Medicare and Medicaid as part of any budget cuts “dangerous.”
“Any time you put something off the table, you are asking for trouble,” he said during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Entitlements make up two-thirds of the federal budget.”
Panetta, who was CIA director and defense secretary under Barack Obama, served as OMB director under Bill Clinton. He said that a lack of agreement in Congress on the budget has been a major obstacle to dealing with $20 trillion in federal debt.
“They are all trying to do this by going after discretionary spending, which constitutes a small part of the budget,” he said.
Trump pledged on the campaign trail to not cut Medicare or Medicaid. Democrats, who oppose any cuts to entitlements, have called on Trump to keep that pledge.
