President Donald Trump. Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP / Getty Images

President Trump's 2019 budget seeks to cut all funding from a program that provides heating assistance subsidies to low-income families in cold-weather states. The administration's argument: the program is marred by fraud and unnecessary, the AP reports.

Why it matters: This is the second attempt by the Trump administration to end the program, and it’s likely the proposal will again face resistance from lawmakers. Last year, Congress ultimately appropriated $3 billion, or 90% of the program's funding. Supporters argue the elderly, disabled and others with fixed incomes desperately need the assistance.

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Updated 31 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Politics: Chris Christie released from hospital.
  2. Health: U.S. sees third day of 50,000 new coronavirus cases β€” How genes might predict the risk for severe COVID-19.
  3. Business: As job losses continue, doubts are rising about unemployment data.
  4. Poll: 26% of Americans know someone who went to work while sick.
  5. Sports: Guidelines may have caused college football's sloppy start.

The Pence-Harris debate was a big hit on the right

Photos: Justin Sullivan/Pool/AFP

Mike Pence's performance at the vice presidential debate set conservative media on fire, generating high interaction numbers on favorable coverage of him and critical coverage of Kamala Harris, according to data from NewsWhip provided to Axios.

The big picture: The debate was more notable for its return to civility than for generating strong emotions β€” but the NewsWhip data shows that the breakout moments saw more traction on the right.

Top 5 mail voting mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

If you're planning to cast your ballot by mail this year rather than voting in person, these are the most common mistakes to avoid so you can ensure your vote is counted.

Why it matters: About 1% of absentee ballots that were cast in the 2016 and 2018 elections were ultimately tossed, according to the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission (EAC). That could translate to hundreds of thousands of uncounted ballots this year β€” enough to potentially change the outcome of the presidential race.