ICYMI: How DOGE’s Social Security Cuts Are Already Hurting Communities

WaPo: Employees describe hourslong wait times, delays in reviewing disability claims, and more WASHINGTON – In a damning exposé, The Washington Post today revealed that Elon Musk’s handpicked commissioner now running the Social Security Administration (SSA) has admitted he and his team have little grasp of the agency as they race to fire workers, slash funding, close offices, and pour over the confidential data of tens of millions of Americans. The piece outlines the devastating impacts already taking place at SSA offices, with employees describing hourslong wait times, disability hearings…

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MoveOn: Republicans Vote for Largest Medicaid Cut in History to Pay for Billionaire Tax Cuts

WASHINGTON – In response to House Republicans voting for the largest Medicaid cut in history, MoveOn Civic Action Chief Communications Officer Joel Payne released the following statement: “There’s no other way to say it: the Republican Party just agreed to take away Medicaid from their constituents in favor of mass deportations, expanding the military budget and trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the rich. MoveOn and our members will make sure that all 217 of these Republicans hear loud and clear about how unconscionable it is to cut Medicaid…

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Trump and Republicans Are Eyeing Cuts to Medicaid: What its Is and How it Impacts Millions of Americans

Millions of Americans rely on Medicaid to live – and Trump, Musk, and Republicans in Congress want to cut it to fund tax cuts for billionaires. What is Medicaid? Medicaid is a state and federal program that funds health care for more than 70 million Americans. That’s 1 in 5 Americans. This includes disabled people, older adults, children living in poverty, and families caring for loved ones. Medicaid makes people healthier and saves lives. It is a lifeline for aging and disability care in homes and nursing facilities. It pays…

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IRS ‘prepared’ for 2025 filing season, but potential spending cuts loom for the agency

The Internal Revenue Service is preparing for a tax season that will look quite different for 2025, with the coming expansion of the agency’s Direct File program and other modernization efforts — but also a looming possibility of further IRS spending cuts led by Republican lawmakers. For the 2025 tax filing season, the IRS’ Direct File program will be available in 25 states, more than doubling the 12 states where the IRS-run online filing system was an option for taxpayers in 2024. The IRS will begin accepting tax returns on…

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The federal workforce is growing, as House appropriators consider agency spending cuts

With a net gain of more than 80,000 civilian employees during fiscal 2023, the federal workforce posted yet another year of growth. Between 2019 and 2023, more than 140,000 employees joined the civil service, an increase of about 7%, according to data that the non-partisan, non-profit Partnership for Public Service compiled and released this week. The majority of the growth in the past couple of years occurred in 2023 alone — the federal workforce grew by 4% in just that one year, the Partnership said. The latest increase brings the…

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Are budget cuts the best way to fix troubled agencies?

Washington’s ticker tape of controversy has wrapped around several agencies and departments. Republicans in Congress would fix things by cutting their budgets. But is that the best way to cause reform? Not according to the guest of Federal Drive with Tom Temin, former American University Professor Bob Tobias. Interview Transcripts:  Tom Temin And Bob, you’re concerned about what seems to be happening around two agencies, in particular, the IRS and the Office of Personnel Management. The IRS is having its tintinnabulation on Capitol Hill these days. But let’s talk about…

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