Rep. Huffman Demands House Republicans Abandon Efforts to Cut Social Security and Health Care Benefits for Americans

House Republicans’ proposed budget cuts would strip millions of Americans of their vital benefits

March 04, 2025

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) joined more than 200 House Democrats in a letter demanding House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits on behalf of the millions of Americans who depend on these essential programs.

“Donald Trump and Speaker Johnson publicly vowed Project 2025 wasn’t theirs and that they would safeguard health care and retirement benefits under Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. But at the first possible opportunity, they set their plot in motion to rip these benefits away from millions of Americans to pay for billionaire tax cuts,” said Rep. Huffman. “We are demanding Trump and his Republican cronies cut the crap and keep their hands off these important programs. Every American should be able to access the high-quality health care and dignified retirement they deserve, and I won’t stop fighting to make that happen.”

The letter from the lawmakers comes one week after House Republicans’ new budget proposal leaked, detailing their intention to pass sweeping cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. According to the documents, millions of Americans would be impacted.

“Despite the President’s claims, the White House’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” is taking drastic actions and making severe threats adversely affecting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and many other crucially important programs,” the lawmakers wrote. “We all agree that our government should always be working to improve effectiveness and efficiency. But, Elon Musk’s half-baked approach and headstrong rush to irresponsibly cut trillions of dollars from the federal budget—without oversight or full consideration of the impacts—put these lifesaving and hard-earned benefits in danger.”

You can read the full letter here and below.

Dear Mr. Speaker:

We write to oppose any attempts to cut access or benefits to the vital programs that Americans rely on, such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. We remind you that in addition to repeating his pledge to not cut Social Security and Medicare, President Trump recently claimed he would “love and cherish” Medicaid, which insures more than 70 million Americans, and stated that “the people won’t be affected.”

Despite the President’s claims, the White House’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” is taking drastic actions and making severe threats adversely affecting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and many other crucially important programs. We all agree that our government should always be working to improve effectiveness and efficiency. But, Elon Musk’s half-baked approach and headstrong rush to irresponsibly cut trillions of dollars from the federal budget—without oversight or full consideration of the impacts—put these lifesaving and hard-earned benefits in danger. Moreover, House Republican budgetary options explicitly propose cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid. Such cuts would push countless elderly Americans out of senior homes and deprive essential health and dental care to millions of Americans of modest incomes, taking those cuts to give away trillions of dollars in tax breaks to the wealthiest individuals and large corporations.

We jointly call on you to protect these essential programs and urge you to reverse course on any legislation that deprives Americans of healthcare or the hard-earned retirement benefits they deserve. 

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