Republicans Hint at Social Security Cuts at First DOGE Caucus Meeting

As he walked into a U.S. Capitol conference room for the inaugural DOGE Caucus meeting, a House Republican expressed his belief on Tuesday that reductions to Social Security and Medicare are looming. This new congressional caucus aims to bolster an advisory commission spearheaded by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

At the entrance of the meeting room, Alex Lawson, the executive director of Social Security Works, confronted several Republicans, inquiring if they would stand by the campaign promise of President-elect Donald Trump to safeguard Social Security and Medicare.

Representative Greg Lopez (R-Colo.) responded to Lawson, stating, “As we aim to diminish our national debt, I believe these programs must be considered.” He further emphasized, “I strongly support the reevaluation and discussion of these programs and I do think that ultimately, there will be reductions.”

When asked whether potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare were a discussion point for the DOGE Caucus, Lopez remarked, “We’re about to see.”

Last month, the House Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency Caucus was established by Reps. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas). It was created to support the so-called Department of Government Efficiency in its efforts to dismantle redundant government bureaucracy, reduce unnecessary regulations, slash wasteful spending, and reorganize federal agencies.

Recently, Musk and Ramaswamy, appointed by Trump to head the advisory panel, have launched criticisms against Social Security, intensifying the concerns of advocates who believe the commission is just a strategy to implement significant cuts to essential anti-poverty programs.

Sessions, a co-chair of the DOGE Caucus, dodged Lawson’s questions about committing to protect Social Security and Medicare, in line with Trump’s campaign assurances.

“Most of the answers have been non-committal,” Lawson mentioned at the DOGE Caucus meeting entrance. “It seems the safest stance for a Congress member is to avoid any firm position that might need defending to their voters.”

Lawson added, “If left to their own devices, they would prefer to make these decisions behind closed doors, away from the scrutiny of the people they serve.”

The membership of the House DOGE Caucus is expected to soon exceed a hundred, predominantly consisting of Republicans. Only three Democrats have joined so far: Reps. Steven Horsford from Nevada, Val Hoyle from Oregon, and Jared Moskowitz from Florida.

After the meeting on Tuesday, Horsford released a statement saying he joined the caucus “to fight for the working families of Nevada that I represent.”

In an interview on Fox News post-meeting, Bean remarked, “the caucus room was overflowing,” noting that attendance exceeded expectations with over fifty Republicans and three Democrats present. When pressed for details on potential cuts, Bean first pointed to “education.”

Additionally, a Senate version of the DOGE Caucus exists, led by Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who has previously expressed openness to privatizing Social Security and advocated for lawmakers to “sit down in private” to have a “frank conversation” about potential modifications to the historic New Deal program.