Economists say that the House GOP’s budget proposal, which aims to combine a $4.5 trillion tax cut with roughly $2 trillion in spending cuts, will likely benefit the richest Americans while jeopardizing access to health care for the country's poor and rural populations.

In terms of top-line numbers, Republicans are hoping to pay for their gigantic tax cut by reducing spending by between $1.5 and $2 trillion, and they have put social services — Medicaid, specifically — in their crosshairs.

House Republican leadership has specifically asked the Energy and Commerce Committee to find $880 billion in cuts over the next ten years, while the GOP leaders have asked the Education and Workforce Committee and the Agriculture Committee to find $330 billion and $230 billion in cuts respectively. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has also been asked to find $10 billion in cuts.

-Salon.com