Rep. Sherrill Introduces Legislation To Protect Americans’ Health and Retirement Benefits From DOGE Cuts

Today, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) introduced the Protecting Retirement and Health Benefits for Working Families Act to safeguard Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans Affairs, and other critical federal benefits and services from Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency”. 

"New Jerseyans up and down the state have worked hard throughout their careers to earn the retirement and health benefits they deserve. Yet right now, Elon Musk and Donald Trump are attempting to dismantle the very agencies that ensure these programs run smoothly. My legislation makes sure that before any cuts or office closures are enacted, the Trump Administration must prove to Congress that these actions won’t harm the benefits Americans rely on. And if they do cause harm, this bill will force the Administration to undo the damage and reinstate employees. I refuse to sit by as an unelected billionaire lines his own pockets with the money that hardworking families, seniors, and veterans have rightfully earned," said Rep. Sherrill.

The Protecting Retirement and Health Benefits for Families Act would require several federal agencies (the Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, Internal Revenue Service, and Department of Housing and Urban Development) to certify to Congress that any planned staffing cuts or regional office closures will not impact the provision of benefits or financial assistance to Americans. 

The bill also requires the Inspector General at each of those agencies to conduct a study, within one year, of any of these enacted certifications to ensure that layoffs/closures haven’t harmed benefit receipt, and if benefit receipt has been negatively impacted the agency will be required to reverse those layoffs/closures. 

Without any Congressional authorization, the Trump Administration has attempted to gut critical federal agencies to pay for a tax cut for the ultra-wealthy:

• The Social Security Administration has enacted, or attempted to enact, mass staffing layoffs, phone service cuts, and local and regional office closures. Since January, DOGE has cut about 7,000 Social Security Administration jobs, or 12% of its entire workforce.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs attempted to cut billions of dollars in contracts, but was stopped after Democrats and veterans service organizations warned that it would hurt critical veterans’ health services. It also instituted a hiring freeze for more than 300,000 VA health jobs. 
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services granted DOGE access to agency systems and technologies after Musk claimed “this is where the big money fraud is happening.” Washington Republicans are currently looking to cut $880 billion from Medicaid to fund trillions in tax breaks for billionaires. HHS Secretary Kennedy has also announced plans to cut 10,000 employees at the Department of Health and Human Services, including 300 at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
• DOGE is reportedly considering cutting the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s staff by as much as 50% and cutting half of the department’s regional offices.

In addition to protecting vital retirement and health care benefits for American families, Rep. Sherrill last month introduced legislation aimed at holding Elon Musk and DOGE accountable for their actions and access to sensitive government information. The Drug Testing For Special Government Employees Act would require Musk and his DOGE employees to pass drug tests and undergo random drug screenings to retain their Special Government Employee status. Given Musk’s well-documented history of drug use, this measure would ensure that those handling the nation’s most sensitive data cannot be compromised or manipulated due to illegal drug use.

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