Democrats make long-shot effort to stop Trump cuts to Medicaid and Snap

Four Republicans needed to sign on to discharge petition to force vote on legislation preventing cuts to safety net

House Democrats are making a long-shot attempt to stop Republicans from downsizing federal safety net programs including Medicaid to offset the costs of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and tax cuts.

The Democratic House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, on Tuesday announced that his lawmakers are circulating a petition which, should a majority of the chamber sign on to it, would force a vote on legislation preventing cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap).