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Kalamazoo City Hall was photographed In Kalamazoo, Mich., Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016. (Bryan Bennett | MLive.com)

(Bryan Bennett)

KALAMAZOO, MI -- During a Monday business meeting, several Kalamazoo City Commissioners took time to express reservations with President Donald Trump's 2018 budget proposal.

The city read proclamation recognizing the 15th year of "March for Meals Month," an annual campaign to bring awareness to Meals on Wheels programs across the country. In 1972, President Richard Nixon amended the Older Americans act to establish the program, which brings hot meals to seniors 60 years and older.

Critics of Trump's preliminary budget proposal seeking $54 billion in cuts to federal spending, some to programs that provide a portion of funding to Meals on Wheels, used the potential effect on the senior program as an example of the budget's failings.

Though it is not a federal program, a statement issued by Meals on Wheels on March 16 said the nationwide network receives 35 percent of its total funding for the provision of home-delivered meals from the federal government. Funding is administered through the Older Americans Act, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The impact on these funds has not yet been announced, the statement reads, however a $15.1 billion, 17.9 percent, cut is proposed for the Department of Health and Human Services.

After the proclamation, Mayor Bobby Hopewell brought up the possibility of cuts to the national program's funding source. Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties' program is already at capacity, with a waiting list of 250 people.

"Commissioners, if I'm not mistaken I think Meals on Wheels is one of those programs that our president is considering cutting," Hopewell said. "Just thought I would make mention of that."

During time set aside at the end of each meeting for commissioners to freely discuss non-agenda items, several spoke to concerns about other programs which could lose funding under Trump's budget.

However, they also noted that discretionary spending limits are set by Congress, which typically makes changes to the president's proposal each year.

"This is a proposed budget, this is not the budget," Hopewell said. "Not many presidents get their absolute budget, but the potential is there because this is a very odd time in our nation. If you don't let your voice be heard you are allowing this to happen."

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Commissioner Jack Urban was concerned with the elimination of $3 billion in Community Development Block Grants, which he said affects "a large potion" of the city's neighborhood outreach.

According to the "America First" budget blueprint, the federal government has spent more than $150 billion on this block grant since its inception in 1974. The blueprint states the program "is not well-targeted to the poorest populations and has not demonstrated results."

"I just want us as a commission to be thinking what can we do to discourage the president or our representatives from doing something that drastic and be thinking what we would do as a city to make whole whatever funding shortfalls occur on account of that," Urban said.

He said thanks to Kalamazoo's active philanthropic community, local resources could be found to compensate for the cut, but he hoped it won't come to that.

Department of Education

Trump's budget proposal also seeks to eliminate the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which supports before and after-school programs as well as summer programs, resulting in savings of $1.2 billion.

"The programs lacks strong evidence of meeting its objectives, such as improving student achievement," the document states.

Commissioner Shannon Sykes briefly spoke to the need for after-school programming.

"As someone who works in youth development, I cannot stress how detrimental that would be to our young people," Sykes said. "Kalamazoo is the city of the Promise, one of the biggest things we care about is the education of our young people. We are robbing them of any real opportunity to advance if we are taking away their after-school programming."

American Health Care Act

Commissioner Erin Knott, in anticipation of the House's upcoming Thursday vote on the American Health Care Act, announced a rally scheduled from 5 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday March 22 outside Rep. Fred Upton's Kalamazoo office.

"I'm not a big proponent of rallying but I am a a proponent that this proposal is detrimental not only to the state of Michigan, but residents here in Kalamazoo County," Knott said. "I encourage anyone watching to contact Congressman Upton and tell him to vote no."

Vice Mayor Cooney, who also encouraged residents to attend the rally, said the AHCA would cause 6,000 residents in the city of Kalamazoo to lose their health care.

The vote would land exactly seven years since the day President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010.

"These are proposals and these are going to decide what kind of country are we and what kind of people are we," Cooney said. "We have a responsibility to let our elected officials in Washington know how we feel about these things. We have to take a stand."

Commissioners David Anderson and Matt Milcarek did not comment on Trump's budget proposal.

Hopewell ended the evening by telling residents that if they feel that these decisions are wrong, they should tell their family and friends and encourage them to take action.