"Many benefits exist now; politicians seem to be falling over one another trying to restrict them."

Which benefits have been cut in the US in past ten years? Be specific. I won't count things that were cut to be replaced with something else bigger, like Obamacare.

There's a few politicians appealing to the people who'd like to see some things trimmed, but they haven't done anything significant about it in a decade or more. This is a part of the reason you're seeing Trump's level of success, the perception by these people that they keep trying send people to DC to cut things down, who then make a big show of resisting while not actually resisting.

SNAP benefits in 2013. SS Disability this year. VA funding in the current budget. You don't have to look far to find scissors-wielding politicians.