WASHINGTON — Former President Trump says he “will not cut one penny” from Medicare and Social Security and steps back from calls for broad national abortion restrictions, according to a summary of the Republican election platform released Monday ahead of the party’s national convention.
The 16-page document skims over health topics, focusing more on Trump’s proposals to restrict immigration and boost the economy. But the few policy stances laid out reflect the growing national discord over health care access, and potential GOP angst over revisiting the resounding failure of the fight to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Trump has also softened his stance on abortion law as polls and state ballot votes show voters’ apprehension toward broad bans.
But while Trump and the Republican party are scaling back some of their less popular stances, they also signaled a plan to dramatically intensify a battle against transgender people’s health care. The platform says that Trump intends to bar federal funds from supporting gender-affirming surgeries, regardless of age, nodding to a stance that has inflamed GOP voters in recent years.
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