¶ Overview
In 2025, Lombardo praised Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” as DOGE-driven cuts and downsizing were affecting the federal government’s ability to deliver services to seniors. More than 607,000 Nevadans relied on Social Security benefits.
In March 2025, Lombardo attacked Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford for joining lawsuits challenging Trump administration actions, including DOGE policies.
Lombardo supported DOGE even though it resulted in federal funding cuts to Nevada nonprofits and organizations. Lombardo said balancing Nevada’s budget would “require” lay offs and the removal of full-time employees. Lombardo believed that Trump had done a “good job” while Trump threatened the livelihoods of nearly 3,745 federal workers in Nevada.
¶ Lombardo Supported DOGE Reforms Despite The Harm They Were Causing To The Social Security Administration
¶ Lombardo Supported DOGE Cuts
¶ Lombardo Promoted His Executive Orders And Regulatory Cuts To Showcase DOGE-Style Efficiency Efforts
March 2025: Lombardo Endorsed DOGE Reforms And Touted His Administration’s Efficiency Measures. According to My News 4, “Gov. Joe Lombardo's press team recently posted that he agrees that Nevada needs DOGE reforms and touted several steps his administration has taken to make state government more efficient.” [My News 4, 3/4/25]
- Lombardo Praised His DOGE-Style Policies And Highlighted His Executive Orders And Regulatory Rollbacks As Evidence He Reduced Government Waste. According to Lombardo’s Press Office on Twitter, “‘We need DOGE reforms in Nevada!’ We agree! And that’s why Governor Lombardo has been laser-focused on eliminating government waste since day one of his administration. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Governor Lombardo’s first executive order? Rescinding all of Governor Sisolak’s COVID-19 declarations, executive orders, and emergency directives Governor Lombardo’s second executive order? Mandating all state employees back to the office by July 1, 2023 After this EO, critics said that ‘state employees would quit’ – and, well, the opposite was true. Since taking office, Governor Lombardo has reduced the state vacancy rate in half….from 25% to 12% (and dropping). Governor Lombardo’s third and fourth executive orders? Mandating no new regulations and ordering a review of ALL state regulations in Nevada Since those EOs, Governor Lombardo has streamlined 447 regulations and eliminated 643 regulations. That’s not all though. Governor Lombardo transitioned state offices out of leased buildings to state-owned buildings, which… Immediately saved Nevada taxpayers $200 million dollars Saves the state 50% in annual operating costs (savings hundreds of millions long term) And this year, Governor Lombardo instructed the Department of Business & Industry to propose legislation (SB78) that... merges 37 occupational licensing boards into 17 reduces board redundancy and increases accountability The last time these boards were reformed in Nevada was 1976! On top of all of this, last session, Governor Lombardo introduced and signed his Government Modernization and Efficiency Act (SB431) into law. SB431 overhauled outdated state HR and IT processes and created the role of the Chief Innovation Officer. The CIO now works in the Office of the Governor, and he’s focused on eliminating government waste, modernizing state government, and bringing efficiency and effectiveness back to the heart of state government. To use his words: Governor Lombardo is getting sh!t done!”
[Twitter, @Lombardo_Press, 2/24/25]
¶ Lombardo Objected To NEvada Attorney General Ford Joining Lawsuits Against The Trump Administration And Said Trump Had Done A “Good Job”
March 2025: Lombardo Objected To Nevada Attorney General Ford Filing Lawsuits Without Notifying Him And Said Trump Had Done A “Good Job.” According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “In a Monday morning interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Republican governor criticized Ford for filing the lawsuits without communicating with him. Ford has said he plans to run for governor against Lombardo in 2026. ‘Trump has done, if you ask me how he’s done so far, I think he’s done good,’ Lombardo said. ‘He’s done exactly what he ran on and got voted on, got put into office.’” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3/24/25]
March 2025: Lombardo Highlighted Attorney General Ford’s Lawsuits Against The Trump Administration And Said It Was “Unfortunate” He Could Act Independently. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “The Democratic attorney general has signed on to more than five lawsuits against President Donald Trump’s administration, from fighting to block cuts to medical research at universities to challenging the power of Elon Musk and the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. […] Lombardo said Ford is using his ability to sign on to other litigation to push back on the administration. Ford is an independent and constitutional officer, so he has the ability to act independent from Lombardo’s office, Lombardo conceded, which he called ‘unfortunate.’” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3/24/25]
¶ At The Social Security Administration, Doge Forced Mass Layoffs, Longer Wait Times And Frequent Website Crashes
HEADLINE: "Social Security Stops Reporting Call Wait Times And Other Metrics" [Washington Post, 6/20/25]
HEADLINE: "As Social Security Services Are Cut Back, Millions Of Seniors Face Long Drives" [Axios, 6/8/25]
HEADLINE: "Social Security Website Keeps Crashing, As DOGE Demands Cuts To IT Staff" [Washington Post, 4/7/25]
HEADLINE: "Social Security Faces Thousands More Job Cuts Even With Service In Tailspin" [Washington Post, 4/4/25]
The Center On Budget And Policy Priorities Said The Trump Administration Had Pushed Out 7,000 Social Security Workers. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Over the past five months, the Trump Administration has forced the Social Security Administration (SSA) through a radical transformation that threatens to disrupt services for the largely older and severely disabled people who most rely on the agency.[1] The Trump Administration and its so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have created huge gaps in customer service and support by indiscriminately pushing out 7,000 workers to hit an arbitrary staffing reduction target. This is the largest staffing cut in SSA’s history.[2] (See Figure 1.)" [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/23/25]
The Social Security Administration Website Crashed Four Times In Ten Days In March 2025 Because Servers Were Overloaded. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
Field Office Managers At Social Security Offices Had To Answer Phones In Place Of Receptionists Because DOGE Had Pushed Out So Many Federal Employees. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
DOGE Eliminated The Social Security Administration’s System To Monitor Customer Experience. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
Early February-Late March 2025: AARP Said More Than 2,000 People Per Week Had Called Expressing Concerns About Whether They Would Continue To Get Their Social Security Benefits. According to the Washington Post, "Alarmed lawmakers are straining to answer questions back home from angry constituents. Calls have flooded into congressional offices. AARP announced Monday that more than 2,000 people a week have called the retiree organization since early February — double the usual number — with concerns about whether benefits they paid for during their working careers will continue. Social Security is the primary source of income for about 40 percent of older Americans." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
¶ More Than 607,411 Nevadans Relied on social security benefits
In Nevada, 607,411 Nevadans Relied On Social Security Benefits. According to the Social Security Administration, in 2024, 607,411 Nevadans received Social Security benefits. [Social Security Administration, Nevada, 2024]
¶ Lombardo Promoted Trump’s DOGE Even Though Its Policies Cut Millions In Funding, Triggered Layoffs, And Threatened Essential Services In Nevada
¶ Lombardo Promoted DOGE-Style Efficiency Measures And Said Nevada Would Require Layoffs And Service Cuts
March 2025: Lombardo Endorsed DOGE Reforms And Touted His Administration’s Efficiency Measures. According to My News 4, “Gov. Joe Lombardo's press team recently posted that he agrees that Nevada needs DOGE reforms and touted several steps his administration has taken to make state government more efficient.” [My News 4, 3/4/25]
February 2025: Lombardo Said Balancing The Budget Would “Require” Layoffs And Cuts To Foundational Government Services. According to an interview Joe Lombardo had with IndyTalks, “Your constituents and the people that are in need. That's the role of government and that's cutting up services. Minimizing services. Foundational services provided to the people for survival versus, you know, a good quality of life. And that's what we'll have to go through. You know, this is not unique to me because when I was the sheriff in Clark County, we went through the previous recessions, you know, to 2007, 2008, where we didn't even have the ability to put gas in our patrol vehicles. So you have to go through that as a group and determine the hierarchy of services, which is more important than others, which are considered, quote unquote, fluff and start slicing and dicing. Right. And unfortunately, some of that will require the removal of FTE full time employees in order to balance the budget.” [Joe Lombardo, IndyTalks, 2/11/25] (VIDEO)
¶ DOGE Eliminated An Estimated $8.4 Million In Mental Health Grant Funding And Triggered Layoffs In Nevada
¶ DOGE Cuts Removed Rural Mental Health Grants, Eliminated An Estimated $8.4 Million In Funding, And Triggered Layoffs In One Of The Nation’s Weakest Systems
HEADLINE: “Trump Admin Abruptly Ends NV Mental Health, Immunization Grants; 48 Employees Laid Off” [Nevada Independent, 3/26/25]
April 2025: DOGE Eliminated Rural Mental Health Grants And Contributed To An Estimated $8.4 Million Loss In Nevada Mental Health Funding. According to Nevada Current, “Elon Musk took his chainsaw last month to federal grants for mental health – including two that provide free mental health counseling to youth in Elko and Humboldt Counties, where access to such services is scarce, according to UNLV’s Dr. Dan Allen, director and principal investigator of the Nevada Rural Mental Health Outreach Program (RHOP). DOGE also eliminated another grant for the mental health needs of homeless children. […] ‘We’re also providing services to kids who need more intensive care,’ Allen explained, through a clinical program for youth at high-risk for psychosis, and for those with early bipolar disorder. ‘Our community is plagued with mental illness,’ Elko resident Morgan Pavao, who serves as a site coordinator for Communities in Schools in Northeastern Nevada, said via email. ‘I have lost family and loved ones to suicide every year because we live in a community where mental health is not only ignored, but stigmatized. This program is saving lives and we cannot afford to lose it.’” [Nevada Current, 4/23/25]
- DOGE Eliminated An Estimated $8.4 Million In Nevada’s COVID-Era Mental Health Funding. According to Nevada Current, “‘Preliminary calculations show about $8.4 million was terminated under pandemic-era additions to the community mental health services block grant,’ Jesse Stone of DPBH said via email Tuesday. ‘This number is subject to change as we receive final requests from reimbursements from our partners that were receiving grants at the time that funds were rescinded.’ Trump’s administration hopes to save $11.4 billion by eliminating COVID-era funding for addiction and mental health.” [Nevada Current, 4/23/25]
Nevada Health Leaders Said Funding Cuts And Layoffs Harmed A Mental Health System Already Ranked Near The Bottom Nationally. According to the Nevada Independent, “Nevada health leaders have long emphasized the importance of pandemic relief funds to support Nevada’s shoddy public health infrastructure, which often lags near the bottom of nationwide rankings for mental health, vaccination rates and health care access. Nevada received $2.7 billion in flexible pandemic aid, allocating about $114 million for mental health programs. The firings arrive as vaccination rates in Nevada are below the national average and after the state ended its relationship with a troubled statewide nonprofit dedicated to increasing the low immunization rates last year. Nevada has continued to lag behind almost every other state in mental health care and ranks worst in the nation for its youth mental health services. Leaders of mental health-related nonprofits, which are key players in the state’s mental health care infrastructure, told The Nevada Independent earlier this month that federal funding cuts would be devastating. They argued that demand for their services have exploded — and remain at record highs — ever since the onset of the pandemic.” [Nevada Independent, 3/26/25]
¶ DOGE Cut A $20 Million Nevada Grant For Tribal Water, Energy, And Climate Projects
March 2025: DOGE Cuts Eliminated Access To A $20 Million Nevada Grant And Sent EPA Environmental Justice Staff On Leave. According to the Nevada Independent, “On March 7, the Nevada Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) — the lead applicant on the grant — discovered it could no longer access the $20 million fund. Three days later on March 10, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced he was cancelling more than $1.7 billion worth of ‘DEI and Environmental Justice’ grants, as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to cut government spending and compliance with Trump’s executive order to eliminate DEI across the government. […] The EPA closed down its Department of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights — which was responsible for the Community Change Grants — and its equivalents in all 10 of its regional offices, and placed all regional environmental justice staff on administrative leave.” [Nevada Independent, 3/29/25]
March 2025: DOGE Cuts Eliminated A $20 Million Grant For Tribal Water Improvements, Home Energy Retrofits, And A New Food Pantry Facility. According to the Nevada Independent, “The $20 million was designated for long-needed water and energy infrastructure work on the Walker River Paiute Reservation, which encompasses 325,000 square acres across Mineral, Churchill and Lyon counties. Working with NCEF, the grant would have funded the retrofitting of 150 homes for energy-efficiency improvements. Using grant dollars, the tribe also planned to construct a community resilience hub — a space for emergency use before and after disasters, including shelter from extreme heat. And the EPA approved a number of other climate-related upgrades for the hub, including solar and battery storage and an energy-efficient heat pump. As part of the community resilience hub, the grant would fund construction of a new nutritional wellness building for the tribe’s food pantry. Currently, the pantry — which McFalls said she believes is the only operating tribal facility of its type in Nevada — is in a shared space with a technology center. Finally, a portion of the grant is supposed to go toward the construction of the tribe’s water looping project, a large undertaking to transform the reservation’s current water system, which has limited capacity and low water pressure — an impediment to new construction and a safety hazard. The tribe was planning to construct a new water storage tank and install 24,000 feet of water mains, more than 50 fire hydrants and dozens of domestic water connections.” [Nevada Independent, 3/29/25]
¶ DOGE Cuts Targeted 3,745 Federal Workers In Nevada
February 2025: DOGE Cuts Put Up To 3,745 Nevada Federal Workers At Risk Of Layoffs. According to Nevada Current, “The full number of Nevadans who lost their jobs following the Trump administration’s order to terminate thousands of federal employees hired in the last two years has been kept from Congress and the public. But the impacts of the mass layoffs have already reached at least one of the state’s two national parks and the Nevadans who depend on them. […] Past workforce data published by the Office of Personnel Management offers some clues as to the number of federal employees in Nevada vulnerable to termination. The number of federal employees categorized as recent hires in Nevada — the most at risk of termination — could be in the thousands, according to the latest federal workforce data maintained by the agency. As of May 2024, there were 1,475 federal employees with less than one year on the job working in Nevada. Federal employees hired in the state over the past one to two years totaled 2,270. According to the most recent federal workforce data, the Department of Veterans Affairs had the most federal employees with less than a year of service working in the state, with 655 recent hires. The Department of the Interior — which manages about 80% of public land in Nevada — had 253 federal workers in the state with less than a year on the job, the second largest share. The Department of Agriculture had 91 Nevadans with less than a year in their roles.” [Nevada Current, 2/21/25]