White House budget director Mick Mulvaney on Thursday said Meals on Wheels sounds like a good program, but characterized it as an unnecessary expense that could be cut.

Mulvaney made his comments while discussing President Donald Trump’s proposed budget, which features deep cuts to the program that provides meals to the elderly and homebound.

“Meals on Wheels sounds great. Again, that’s a state decision to fund that particular portion, to take the federal money and give it to the states, and say look, we want to give you money for programs that don’t work,” Mulvaney said.

His sentiment isn’t shared by everyone, however, including Limestone County’s Council on Aging Director Susan McGrady. She said the local Meals on Wheels program last year delivered more than 125,000 meals.

She acknowledged Trump’s budget is just a proposal at this point, but she expressed a need for the program to continue.

“The program absolutely works because for some people, it’s the only hot meal they get every day,” she said. “I’ve had some people tell me, ‘Why can’t they just call a delivery service.’ If you’re not on a limited income or you’re homebound, it’s harder to see the reality. If you live alone and have no way to get to the store or get groceries, we provide that one meal a day.”

McGrady said there is another component of the program critics may not consider. On occasion, a volunteer driver discovers a meal recipient is in need of immediate medical attention simply because he or she is too injured or ill to open the door.

“Five days a week, someone knocks on their door. If they can’t open the door, we contact a neighbor or try to reach next of kin,” she said. “We call law enforcement if we can’t reach next of kin to do a safety check. Drivers have found seniors who have fallen and broken a bone.”

The local Meals on Wheels program is funded through the Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments. TARCOG receives funding for the program through a Community Development Block Grant through Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The dominant source of funding for home-delivered meals to seniors in every community across America is the Older Americans Act, administered through Health and Human Services. This is the funding source that Area Agencies on Aging such as TARCOG receive to implement home-delivered meals and congregate meals in senior centers

René Breland, director of aging programs for TARCOG, echoed McGrady’s sentiments about the success rate of the program. She said if there are questions about whether Meals on Wheels “works,” simply understand people who need food are being fed.

“To say that home-delivered meals provided to senior citizens is ineffective displays a lack of understanding of what it means to each senior who receives them,” she said. “Ask a home-bound senior citizen how important that home-delivered meal is and you may hear the following: That this is the only balanced meal they get each day; that if it weren’t for receiving these meals, they would have to choose between buying food and buying medications; that they live alone and are unable to go out and buy their food; that they can no longer cook for themselves; or, the volunteer who delivers their meal is the only person they will see for days.”

National support

Mulvaney’s comments Thursday caused consternation at the Capitol and beyond as lawmakers from both parties vowed to protect the program, which serves nearly a million meals per day nationwide through a network of more than 5,000 local programs. More than 2.4 million older Americans are served each year, including more than 500,000 veterans.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said Friday he’s “been a fan of Meals on Wheels forever” and even delivered food to the elderly.

Jenny Bertolette, a spokeswoman for Meals on Wheels, said the group gets about 35 percent of its funding through the Older Americans Act, with the rest provided by state and local governments and private donations. The act’s 2016 budget was about $834 million, with nearly $849 million proposed for 2017.

Some programs will be hit hard by Trump’s budget and some might not be severely affected, Bertolette said. A provider in Ypsilanti, Mich. — where Trump traveled Wednesday to focus on fuel-economy standards — faces a possible 30 percent funding cut, she said. That means the program in the Detroit suburb could serve one meal a day instead of two, she said.

“The Trump budget will make Americans less safe, deny them access to justice and fund discriminatory immigration policies at the expense of hardworking Americans who need vital federal services such as Meals on Wheels,” said Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich.

When asked if the Limestone County program could survive without funding from TARCOG, McGrady was hesitant to say. The program already depends on volunteer drivers while meal recipients pay about $1.25 per nutritionally balanced meal.

“Some people make a large donation toward the program because it’s a good program,” she said. “We hope it will continue.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.