¶ Overview
- Mitchell supported National Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill and even claimed the United States was better off because of it. The same bill projected to trigger nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts absent future congressional action. More than 685,000 Iowans relied on Medicare plans for health insurance.
- Mitchell supported DOGE and even said he thought millions more federal workers should be fired. Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) weakened the Social Security Administration and cost Iowans their jobs. DOGE cuts caused longer wait times, frequent website crashes, and mass layoffs in Social Security offices across the country, making it harder for Iowa seniors to access their benefits. Effects from DOGE-era cuts lingered at Social Security offices across the nation even a year later.
- Iowa veterans were especially at risk after DOGE cuts. One Iowa City Department of Veterans’ Affairs worker claimed DOGE job cuts could push them to a “breaking point.” The cuts also posed a threat to critical health research conducted at the University of Iowa funded by the National Institutes of Health. DOGE proposed slashing $18 billion from NIH budget, which could impact over 18,000 jobs and 1,600 businesses in Iowa, including ones conducting cancer research.
¶ Mitchell Supported A Bill That Would Trigger Medicare Cuts
¶ mitchell backed trump’s “big beautiful bill,” WHICH WOULD TRIGGER MEDICARE CUTS
1/27/26: Mitchell Claimed The Country Was In A “Better Spot Than We Were A Year Ago” In Part Because Of The Big Beautiful Bill. According to an interview with Joe Mitchell on the Doug Wagner Show, "The Democrats want to talk about this affordability crisis, but they caused it. And we have to remind voters of that, you know, going into the midterms, because that's how it went. We got to talk about the big, beautiful bill. We got to talk about the everything the president's done to help bring down costs, which he’s absolutely done. And so I think that will be his message, you know, today. And, you know, I think he'll talk about, you know, some ag policy as well. But, you know, ultimately the president reminding people, hey, we're in a hell of a lot better spot than we were a year ago." [Doug Wagner Show, 1/27/26] (audio)
2/12/26: Mitchell Predicted The Fall Of 2026 Was Going To Have A “Roaring Economy” Because Of The Big Beautiful Bill. According to an interview with Joe Mitchell on the John Fredericks Show, "Remember, for this year, the tax cuts just set in for 2026, the tax cuts just set in from the big, beautiful bill. And so you have no taxes on overtime. You're no taxes on Social Security. No taxes on tips, of course. And so you have more people taking home their hard earned income. You're going to have interest rates even drop more when you have Kevin Warsh be put in as Fed chair in May. That's my prediction. And then you're going to have the dividend checks go out in the fall. And so I think you're going to have a roaring economy going into fall of 2026." [John Fredericks Show, 2/12/26] (video)
¶ National Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill Would Trigger Nearly $500 Billion In Cuts To Medicare, Absent Future Congressional Action
HEADLINE: "Trump And GOP’s Tax Bill Would Force Cuts To Medicare, CBO Says" [Washington Post, 5/21/25]
- The Congressional Budget Office Estimated That The House Republican Reconciliation Bill Would Trigger Nearly $500 Billion In Cuts To Medicare. According to a letter the Congressional Budget Office sent to Rep. Brendan Boyle, "Today the Congressional Budget Office transmitted an estimate of the budgetary effects of the 2025 reconciliation bill, as ordered reported by the House Committee on the Budget on May 18, 2025. 1 CBO has not yet completed estimates of the effects of interactions among the titles of the legislation. This letter responds to your questions concerning the sequestration (the cancellation of budgetary resources) in accordance with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (S-PAYGO) that would occur if an enacted bill raised deficits by $2.3 trillion over 10 years. Under S-PAYGO, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is required to maintain 5- and 10-year scorecards that it updates with the estimated cumulative changes in revenues and outlays generated by newly enacted legislation. […] The 4 percent maximum reduction in Medicare spending would apply to sequestration orders for years after 2026. If OMB ordered a sequestration of $230 billion for each year through 2034, the ordered reductions in Medicare spending would increase to about $75 billion in 2034 and would total roughly $490 billion over the 2027–2034 period." [Letter to Rep. Brendan Boyle – Congressional Budget Office, 5/20/25]
¶ Nearly 700,000 Iowans relied on medicare
2024: 685,807 Iowans Were Enrolled In Medicare Plans.
[KFF, Viewed 4/24/26]
- 2023: 16 Percent Of Iowans Relied On Medicare. According to the Association of Health Care Journalists, "In Iowa, 497,200 residents are enrolled in Medicare, 16% of the state’s population (2023 data). Of those, 36% are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, which are regulated by the federal government." [Association of Health Care Journalists, 2024]
¶ Mitchell Supported DOGE, Which Weakened Social Security, Cut Cancer Research Funding, And Fired Federal Workers
¶ Mitchell supported DOGE and advocated for firing millions more federal workers
Mitchell In December 2025: “There's A Few More Million More Federal Employees That Could Be Fired, By The Way.” According to a panel Joe Mitchell spoke on at Americafest, "MITCHELL: Well, and the thing is, just because Biden put all these deep state hacks in to run these things. And the next person needs to be fired, by the way, is Jerome Powell. What do we think about that? Because the affordability crisis or the cost of living crisis, it's an issue. You know, Michael just said it, 40 years old, first-time homebuyer. That's horrific. It used to be 27, 28 years old for so many years. And Biden drove that price up, Biden drove that age up. And so, we have to stop that. President Trump is doing everything he can right now, but he needs fighters in Congress like us to help codify it on the congressional level. TYLER BOYER: So you were the guy that was bringing down the hammer. We need you to go in and fire a whole lot more people on government, that… MITCHELL: There's a few more million more federal employees that could be fired, by the way. That's what I think." [Americafest, 12/21/25] (video)
¶ Trump’s department of government efficiency weakened the social security administration
¶ 2025: At The Social Security Administration, DOGE Had Forced Mass Layoffs, Longer Wait Times And Frequent Website Crashes
One Year After DOGE-Era Cuts Resulted In A 12 Percent Cut Of The Social Security Administration’s Workforce, Social Security Offices Across The Country Still Struggled With Staffing. According to Business Insider, "More than a dozen Social Security field offices are listed as closed to in-person service, instead directing customers to reach out by phone or contact the national 800 number. Now, the list of closures has prompted concerns for the beleaguered agency and its recipients. A federal employees' union memo obtained by Business Insider sheds some light on why offices are closed: Some due to operational issues with their buildings, while others are so small that any understaffing forces them to temporarily shut down. […] The closures come at a tumultuous time for the Social Security Administration and its beneficiaries; the agency shed around 7,000 workers, or nearly 12% of its workforce, during the DOGE era, and has had to temporarily reassign some employees to staff phone lines. While the SSA said these office closures are temporary, staffing issues and a lack of field offices could be an increasing problem for the administration and recipients alike. Some currently-shuttered offices simply don't have enough staff. These smaller offices, called resident stations, are often staffed by just one person and serve low-population areas. Two resident stations in rural Montana and Wyoming are closed for lack of workers." [Business Insider, 4/23/26]
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, 4/8/25]
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 Social Security Administration Website Crashed Four Times In Ten Days In March 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 187,890 Iowans In The 2nd Congressional District Relied On Social Security Benefits
2024: 187,890 Iowans In The 2nd Congressional District Relied On Social Security Benefits. According to the Social Security Administration, in 2024, 187,890 Iowans in The 2nd congressional district received Social Security benefits. [Social Security Administration, Iowa, 2024]
¶ iowans, including veterans, suffered from trump’s doge cuts
One Iowa City VA Worker Claimed Trump Administration DOGE Cuts Could Push The Iowa City VA Facility To A “Breaking Point.” According to the Daily Iowan, "But Kelly Freilinger, who began her career as a pharmacy technician at the Iowa City VA in 2015, said the VA has always worked hard to be resourceful. However, Freilinger said she worries the VA under Trump’s administration is approaching a ‘breaking point’ where it may no longer be able to serve veterans effectively. A March 4 memo from VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek, issued in line with Trump’s February 11 executive order establishing the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, Workforce Optimization Initiative, announced plans to lay off more than 80,000 VA employees by August — a cut that would shrink the agency’s workforce by more than 16 percent." [Daily Iowan, 4/15/25]
- HEADLINE: “Iowa City VA Medical Center Gears Up For Major Job Cuts” [KCRG (ABC), 3/5/25]
Federal Cuts Impacted 568 AmeriCorps Workers In Iowa Who Were Tasked With Supporting Schools, Food Banks, Homeless Shelters, Veterans’ Facilities, Etc. According to the Des Moines Register, "When the order rescinding federal funding this year for AmeriCorps dropped on April 15, 568 people doing a wide array of service work stopped for at least 15 Iowa nonprofit, faith-based and community organizations. […] With a budget of roughly $1 billion, AmeriCorps has long provided on-the-ground support to essential community programs in schools, food banks, homeless shelters, youth organizations, veterans’ facilities and other nonprofits — in much the same way the Peace Corps does abroad." [Des Moines Register, 5/1/25]
HEADLINE: “Federal Layoffs Create Uncertainty For Local Head Start Programs” [KWQC, 4/8/25]
HEADLINE: “Federal Layoffs Cause Chaos And Confusion Among Iowans” [Daily Iowan, 4/1/25]
HEADLINE: “Federal Layoffs, Frozen Funding Threatens Program Helping 6M Americans Pay Utility Bills” [KCRG 9 (ABC), 4/14/25]
¶ trump and doge proposed slashing the nih budget, which funded university of iowa research
February 2025: The Trump Administration Announced It Wanted To Cut $4 Billion From NIH. According to Heartland Signal, "Earlier this month, the DOGE and President Donald Trump’s administration announced a $4 billion cut to funding provided through the National Institute of Health (NIH), which reportedly equates to 11% of the department’s 2023 budget. If enacted, these cuts would slash funding for vital medical research, including at the University of Iowa (UI), which is located in Miller-Meeks’ district." [Heartland Signal, 2/21/25]
May 2025: Trump’s Budget Proposed Slashing $18 Billion From The National Institutes Of Health Budget. According to the New York Times, "The plan would slash $18 billion out of the N.I.H. budget, shrinking it to $27 billion — a stark contrast from its heyday in the 1990s, when a bipartisan Congress voted to double its budget within five years because Republicans argued biomedical research was an engine for economic growth." [New York Times, 5/7/25]
- HEADLINE: “Scientists Fear Trump Administration Cuts To NIH Could Impact The Health Of Americans For Generations” [CBS News, 4/27/25]
- HEADLINE: “Universities Feel Ripple Effects Of DOGE Cuts To Health” [Axios, 2/26/25]
NIH Funding Supported Thousands Of Jobs And More Than 1,500 Businesses In Iowa
2024: The University Of Iowa Received More Than $190 Million In NIH Funding And Could Lose An Estimated $33 Million In Funding If Trump’s Proposed February 2025 Cuts Went Into Effect. According to Heartland Signal, "According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the University of Iowa received over $190 million of NIH funding last year. Although the cuts have been temporarily paused by a federal judge, UI could lose an estimated $33 million in funding. UI health care reportedly has over 1,000 active clinical research and trials studies that could be impacted, including 459 focused on cancer research. The NIH also announced a 15% cap on existing grants, prompting UI to pause new grant applications and stop hiring new research assistants." [Heartland Signal, 2/21/25]
United For Medical Research Found That NIH Funding Directly Supported 2,579 Jobs In Iowa. According to Inside Higher Ed, "According to United for Medical Research, NIH funding helps to directly supports 2,579 jobs—and indirectly supports 18,452 jobs and 1,669 businesses related to biotech—in Iowa, where cancer and heart disease are the two most common fatal diseases. (This paragraph was updated to clarify the jobs supported by NIH grants.)" [Inside Higher Ed, 2/12/25]
United For Medical Research Found That NIH Funding Indirectly Supported 18,452 Jobs And 1,669 Businesses Related To Biotech In Iowa. According to Inside Higher Ed, "According to United for Medical Research, NIH funding helps to directly supports 2,579 jobs—and indirectly supports 18,452 jobs and 1,669 businesses related to biotech—in Iowa, where cancer and heart disease are the two most common fatal diseases. (This paragraph was updated to clarify the jobs supported by NIH grants.)" [Inside Higher Ed, 2/12/25]