Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Senior House Democrats who oversee HHS are pressing CMS for answers on DOGE's firings of workers at the agency, warning that the cuts could hurt Medicare and Medicaid operations.
Why it matters: Democrats have been looking for openings to put the spotlight on DOGE and highlight what they call the haphazard nature of the Trump administration's cuts to the federal workforce.
What they're saying: In a letter to CMS, the Democratic lawmakers ask for information on how many people have been fired and what they were working on.
- "Three weeks after these firings, Congress has not received any information about how many staff who were fired were working on Medicare and Medicaid," wrote Reps. Richard Neal, Frank Pallone, Diana DeGette and Lloyd Doggett, the ranking members of Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce and those panels' health subcommittees.
- "It remains unclear what, if any information, will be provided about DOGE's continued actions," they added, saying the "opaque staffing cuts endanger the agency's mission."
The big picture: Democrats have limited leverage over DOGE's remaking of the federal government, though letters can increase attention to the issue.
- Democrats pushed for limits on DOGE's activities in the government funding bill, but Republicans rejected those efforts, saying they would be an uncalled-for limitation on executive branch authorities.
