Young tells Budget Committee the president's plan protects benefits, asks wealthiest to pay more to shore up Medicare and Social Security

OMB Director Shalanda Young told the House Budget Committee that extending Medicare and Social Security solvency without cutting benefits is a central aim of the president's FY2025 budget.

"He will not sign any legislation, and we will do anything, to prevent benefit cuts," Young told the committee when asked whether the administration would support reductions in guaranteed benefits. She said the administration proposes a mix of measures to shore up trust funds: asking the wealthiest Americans to pay more (including a 1.2 percentage point increase cited for Medicare funding in the hearing), expanding Medicare's ability to negotiate prescription drug prices, and closing tax loopholes to raise revenue.

Republican members pressed Young on whether those revenue proposals meaningfully close long‑term shortfalls. Chair Arrington and several Republican colleagues repeatedly described earlier savings being diverted from Medicare in previous legislation and questioned whether the administration's assumptions would hold over a 10‑ or 30‑year horizon.

Young pointed to the administration's figures showing roughly $3.2 trillion in deficit reduction under the budget's policy path and cited CMS actuarial projections when describing how the Medicare proposals would extend trust fund solvency. She also urged committee support for increases the administration has requested in the Social Security Administration's budget to improve service and administration.

The exchange captured a core fault line for the hearing: Democrats emphasized protecting benefits and using targeted revenue to sustain programs; Republicans argued that the budget understates off‑budget spending and relies on optimistic revenue assumptions. The committee did not vote on any policy changes; members requested follow‑up and more detailed, quantifiable models to support long‑term solvency claims.