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“COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont. — Over two years ago, Kim Hilton and his partner walked out of their home for the final time. The house had sold, and the new landlord raised the rent.

“In his first term as president, Donald J. Trump targeted what many Republicans consider blatant welfare waste — a rule that gives food stamps to millions of people with incomes above the usual limit on eligibility.

“Recent proposals from Republican congressional leaders and conservative think tanks would cut Medicaid by taking coverage away from people who don’t meet unnecessary and burdensome work requirements. We estimate that 36 million Medicaid enrollees — including people in every state — could be at risk of losing their coverage under various proposals.”

“Last fall, South Dakota voters approved a ballot measure that will allow lawmakers to impose a work requirement for Medicaid recipients. Now some lawmakers want the flexibility to abolish parts of the health insurance program if the feds cut spending for it.

“As my colleague Edwin Park has explained, capping federal Medicaid payments to states will likely be a key objective for the incoming administration. To lay the groundwork for this radical cost shift, the administration and its allies can be expected to argue that the Medicaid program is riddled with fraud. A leading proponent is Brian Blase, head of the Paragon Health Institute, who is not a fan of Medicaid.

“House Republicans are passing around a “menu” of more than $5 trillion in cuts they could use to bankroll President-elect Donald Trump’s top priorities this year, including tax cuts and border security.

“Homelessness has risen sharply since 2023, new data show. The research is clear: rental assistance promotes housing stability and is key to solving homelessness. Reducing, and ultimately solving, homelessness will require expanding rental assistance and access to supportive services. Unfortunately, President-elect Trump’s record and Republican proposals raise concerns that the incoming Administration and Congress could abandon evidence-based approaches; cut fundingfor programs like rental assistance, increasing the already large number of households who don’t receive help because of inadequate resources; and pursue policies that will further increase homelessness and housing instability and deepen inequities.