RELEASE: Gottheimer Announces New Action to Protect Jersey Seniors From Far-Right Cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare

Above: Gottheimer announcing new legislation to protect seniors.

MIDLAND PARK, NJ — Today, March 10, 2025, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) announced new action to combat the ongoing assault on Jersey seniors as far-right extremists in Congress and the Trump Administration push forward with devastating budget cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. Gottheimer is also helping introduce legislation that would stop the Trump Administration from randomly closing Social Security offices around the country, which would cause delays in seniors’ checks and benefits.

Gottheimer also unveiled a new report outlining the devastating damage that cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will have on Jersey seniors and families.

Video of today’s announcement can be found ​here.

Far-Right Assault on Seniors Across the Country:

• The Trump Administration has announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs at the Social Security Administration (SSA) and close 47 SSA offices across the country — meaning less access to critical services and more delays.
  • DOGE’s chaotic mismanagement has already caused system-wide outages and disruptions, and will cause delays to seniors’ checks and benefits.
  • The Social Security Administration’s Acting Commissioner said that the DOGE workers who decided to fire 7,000 Social Security employees are not experts and are going to make mistakes. 
  • During a White House cabinet meeting, Elon Musk admitted that DOGE will make mistakes as they slash away at critical departments.
• Far-right extremists in Congress have also passed a budget resolution that would cut $880 billion for critical health care programs — including severe cuts to Medicaid and Medicare — programs on which millions of seniors across the country depend.
  • While far-right extremists have promised they will not touch Medicare or Medicaid, the Congressional Budget Office reported to Congress last week that they cannot reach their goal without cutting Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and ripping health care away from millions of Americans.

Impact of Reckless Cuts on New Jersey:

• More than 20% of Bergen County are seniors — the largest population of those 60 years of age and over in the entire state. 
• Across New Jersey, an estimated 1.7 million people depend on Medicaid. Seniors across New Jersey rely on Medicaid for dental and hospice services, while many more, including those with disabilities, rely on this assistance to get by each day.
  • Across New Jersey, more than a third of all children, nearly 40% of adults with disabilities, and an estimated 60% of people living in nursing homes on Medicaid will see this vital support snatched away from them.
  • In the Fifth District alone, nearly 90,000 people rely on Medicaid through programs like NJ Family Care for affordable, quality health care, nursing homes, and senior care.
    • This includes nearly 30,000 children and 13,000 seniors just in Northern New Jersey. 

• As of 2022, 1.7 million across the state also rely on Medicare to receive critical health care — that’s nearly 20% of all Jersey families. More than 147,000 people in the Fifth District were eligible for Medicare. 
• Nearly a third of all seniors in Jersey rely on Social Security to get by each month.

Gottheimer’s New Senior Security Strategy Steps:

• First, Gottheimer is helping introduce new legislation, the Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act, to suspend the closure of all Social Security offices.
  • The legislation requires a detailed report to Congress before the Administration can shut down these critical facilities. 
  • Gottheimer also helped send a letter to the Trump Administration demanding they immediately halt plans for any further office closures or staffing reductions.
• Second, Gottheimer is sending a letter and report to House Speaker Mike Johnson outlining the devastating damage cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will have on Jersey seniors and families, while urging him to protect these critical programs.
  • Gottheimer also sent a letter with 46 of his colleagues calling on the Speaker to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid on behalf of the millions of seniors who depend on these programs nationwide.
• Third, Gottheimer is helping to introduce the Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act to stop Elon Musk and his DOGE cronies from accessing sensitive data systems at the Social Security Administration.
• These actions build on Gottheimer’s long record of fighting for Jersey seniors:
  • Gottheimer introduced and passed overwhelmingly out of the House the bipartisan Senior Security Act, which would create a task force to protect and educate seniors on financial fraud.
  • Gottheimer introduced the bipartisan Empowering States to Protect Seniors from Bad Actors Act, which would create a new Senior Investor Protection Grant Program to support state enforcement agencies. 
  • Gottheimer helped introduce the Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to expand access to Medicare for family caregivers. 
  • Gottheimer helped introduce the Linking Seniors to Needed Legal Services Act, which invests in improving efficiencies at the Social Security Administration and expanding support for our vulnerable seniors. 
  • Gottheimer’s office has helped more than 1,290 Fifth District seniors access their earned Social Security checks in the last two years and clawed back more than $1.5 million in Social Security benefits to the Fifth District overall.

“I’m all for making government more efficient, but not haphazardly hacking away at our most essential benefits that so many seniors desperately rely on. Making things worse — the Administration knows they are screwing over our seniors and families with all of this chaos. Rather than cutting red tape, the President is cutting critical lifelines that Jersey seniors rely on. This is an assault on our seniors,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “President Trump promised to bring down costs but has not announced a single concrete plan to help struggling families. Instead, he is threatening critical support for our seniors and proposing tariffs that will drive prices higher. We need to defend our Jersey Values and lower costs and taxes, not create chaos and abandon our seniors.”

Gottheimer was joined today by Midland Park Mayor Harry Shortway, Jr., Midland Park Council President Nancy Peet, Bergen County Commissioner Rafael Marte, Bergen County Commissioner Germaine Ortiz, Dorothy Sanders with NJ Advocates for Aging Well, and local seniors. 

Below: Gottheimer announcing new legislation to protect seniors.

Gottheimer’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

Good afternoon. Jersey Values are all about getting the backs of our seniors and most vulnerable, the same way Northwest Bergen County Senior Activity Center here does each day. And countless seniors in our community rely on federal investments to access care at senior centers like this one. In fact, more than 20 percent of Bergen County are seniors — the largest population of folks 60 and over in the entire state.

Yet, right now, the Administration is flip-flopping and creating chaos that’s targeting our children and families, small businesses, and our seniors. Just last week, the Administration announced they are shutting down 47 Social Security field offices across the country, which will cause severe delays to seniors’ checks and benefits. We have two of these offices in my district, in Hackensack and Newton, and we have no idea when or if they plan to close them. 

Meanwhile, far-right extremists in Congress are pushing through a new budget that will gut Medicaid and Medicare, putting critical services for our seniors and families in danger. That’s why today, I’m sounding the alarm on the disastrous impacts Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security cuts will have and announcing new action I’m taking to protect Jersey seniors and families. We must stop this disastrous assault on our seniors.

That’s why just a few weeks ago, I voted against the far-right budget resolution.

While you may have heard the far-right promise that they won’t touch Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security, the numbers simply don’t add up. This budget, if enacted, would inflict severe cuts to Medicaid and strip seniors and families of access to essential lifesaving medications, hospital care, dental services, and nursing or home-based health care. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just reported to Congress last week that the far-right extremists can’t reach their goal without cutting Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), ripping healthcare away from millions of Americans. But we are going to fight back to protect Jersey families.

To be clear: This budget is a complete disaster for hardworking Jersey families. Here in the Fifth District alone, nearly 90,000 people rely on Medicaid through programs like NJ Family Care for affordable, quality health care, nursing homes, and senior care. That’s nearly 30,000 children and 13,000 seniors just here in Northern New Jersey. Across the state, you’re talking about 1.7 million people who depend on Medicaid. 

Seniors across New Jersey rely on Medicaid for dental and hospice services, while many more, including those with disabilities, rely on this assistance to get by each day. Across Jersey, it’s more than a third of all children, nearly 40 percent of adults with disabilities, and an estimated 60 percent of people living in nursing homes on Medicaid who will see this vital support snatched away from them.

As of 2022, 1.7 million across the state also rely on Medicare to receive critical healthcare — that’s nearly 20 percent of all Jersey families. More than 147,000 people in my district were eligible for Medicare. 

Look, I’m all for making government more efficient, but not haphazardly hacking away at our most essential benefits that so many desperately rely on. DOGE’s chaotic mismanagement has already caused system-wide outages and disruptions. Making things worse — the Administration knows they are screwing over our seniors and families with all of this chaos. 

The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner reportedly said that the DOGE workers who decided to fire 7,000 Social Security employees are, quote: “not experts,” and they are going to make mistakes as they gut the Social Security Administration — really? During a cabinet meeting, Elon Musk admitted that they will make mistakes as they slash away at our most critical departments. Many Jersey seniors are on fixed incomes — they literally cannot afford these mistakes. There is no room for error in their monthly budgets — to pay for their food and clothing, their mortgage and rent, and their life-saving medicine. 

Even a slight delay caused by all the chaos the Administration is creating is devastating. And where will they go if their local Social Security office is closed? What if there is a mistake in their payments, they’re cut off or they have the wrong amount, which happens far too often? Nearly a third of all seniors in Jersey rely on Social Security to get by each month. The Administration can’t just gut support for Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security and stop these funds from helping those who depend on them.

Imagine working your whole life, contributing to your retirement and paying your bills, only to have your hard-earned benefits cut off when you need them most. For too many seniors, the Administration is trying to make that a reality right now. That’s not efficiency, it’s stupidity.

Despite the devastating impact these cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will have on Jersey seniors, far-right extremists are trying to barrel ahead anyway — without an ounce of concern for the damage they’re causing. I helped get the bipartisan, bicameral Social Security Fairness Act signed into law to ensure our cops, teachers, and firefighters get the retirement benefits they’ve earned — now they will be delayed in getting their benefits too.

The next big vote is this week on a continuing resolution to fund the government, where extremists are even trying to twist the knife and jam through reckless cuts that will fire VA workers and strip away critical support for veterans exposed to toxic, cancer-causing burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. That’s bipartisan legislation that I fought so hard to get passed and signed into law. 

The CR will also cut funding for the Army Corps of Engineers, who help with flood prevention in towns and on the Jersey Shore, and it will eliminate funding to help our first responders.

That’s why we’re here today to sound the alarm on this devastating assault on our seniors, and announce new steps as part of my Senior Security Strategy to fight back and stand up for Jersey seniors.

First, as I’ve said before, I’m all for making government more efficient, but not chaotic cuts with no review, strategy, or plan. Strategy not stupidity — and certainly not drastic cuts that will crush our seniors. That’s why I’m helping introduce new legislation, the Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act, to suspend the closure of all Social Security offices. The legislation smartly requires a detailed report to Congress before the Administration can shut down these critical facilities. I’ve also signed a letter to the Trump Administration demanding they immediately halt plans for any further office closures or staffing reductions.

As I said, we work closely with these Social Security offices to help our seniors from missing benefits, to sign up for Social Security, and the like. My team and I have helped more than 1,290 Fifth District seniors access their earned Social Security checks. That’s just in the last two years! And, I’ve clawed back more than $1.5 million in Social Security benefits to the Fifth District.

Second, I’m sending a report to House Speaker Mike Johnson outlining the devasting damage cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will have on Jersey seniors and families, and urging him to protect these critical programs. 

As I said earlier, we have the numbers of just how many seniors and families will be impacted here in our state, including in my District by these disastrous cuts and random office closings. I’ve also sent a letter with 46 of my colleagues, calling on the Speaker to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid on behalf of the millions of seniors who depend on these programs.

Third, we’ve all read about DOGE and Elon Musk’s collection of Social Security numbers and data, and other health, financial, and private information on our citizens. 

Just this weekend, it appears they are collecting data on child support. The risks to Americans’ privacy and financial security from Musk’s unchecked access are not only unacceptable, but also outright dangerous. That’s why I’m helping introduce the Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act to stop Elon Musk and his DOGE cronies from accessing sensitive data systems at the Social Security Administration. No one elected Elon Musk or entrusted him with their Social Security numbers, and this legislation will ensure your private information is protected and secure from abuse.

Finally, I’ll never stop fighting to ensure our most vulnerable can access the Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits they need and deserve. That’s why I am proud to sponsor the Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to expand access to Medicare for family caregivers. I also sponsored the Linking Seniors to Needed Legal Services Act, which invests in improving efficiencies at the Social Security Administration and expanding support for our vulnerable seniors. We can be smarter and deliver critical care support for our seniors. 

For years now, I’ve been fighting to protect our seniors from fraudsters stealing their Social Security benefits and life savings, which is why I’ve introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Empowering States to Protect Seniors from Bad Actors Act and helped pass the bipartisan Senior Security Act overwhelmingly out of the House. This bipartisan legislation creates a new Senior Investor Protection Grant Program to support state enforcement agencies and task forces to protect and educate seniors on financial fraud.

The bottom line is: Rather than cutting red tape, the President is cutting critical lifelines that Jersey seniors rely on. This is an assault on our seniors. President Trump promised to bring down costs, but has not announced a single concrete plan to help struggling families.  Instead, he is threatening critical support for our seniors and proposing tariffs that will drive prices higher. We need to defend our Jersey Values and lower costs and taxes, not create chaos and abandon our seniors. This won’t be easy, but I never back down from a fight, and I’ll never stop fighting to drive down costs and support our Jersey families.

Because I know that if we work together to stand up to extremism and protect our communities, here in the greatest country in the world, our best days will always be ahead of us.

Thank you. God bless you, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

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