Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz has proposed a rather controversial solution to generate $3 trillion in order to reduce the national debt. The proposal would affect blue-collar workers of the country and involves a change in the retirement plan, leaving many Americans unhappy and expressing outrage online.
During a National Press Club speech on Monday, February 16, Oz addressed a new retirement proposal. The Trump administration official has often advocated for a delayed retirement policy. However, his proposal for a delayed retirement wasn’t what caught everyone’s attention – it was the reasoning behind it.
Dr. Oz suggests Americans should retire later to help pay down the national debt pic.twitter.com/N5d3BcHXk8
— FactPost (@factpostnews) February 3, 2026
Oz claimed that a delayed retirement would possibly end the debt America is in by generating a whopping $3 trillion in revenue. In the press conference, he suggested that the “average American” could start working earlier. He said that they could start working right after leaving high school.
He stated that the people could either work a year after the ideal retirement age or simply “never retire.” Oz explained, “They could work better during their lifetime because they’re healthy.” His suggestion rests on helping shore up Medicare and Social Security services. But who will be affected the most if Oz’s proposal is approved? The answer, as mentioned, are the manual laborers of the country.
An article by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation discusses the effects of raising the retirement age as suggested by Oz, and, it does not looking very promising. Oz’s proposal could cause some serious damage to those who work in physically demanding jobs, especially those from low-income families who depend on overtime, long hours and odd jobs.
— Rob💙 (@rking78708) February 5, 2026
Moreover, unlike higher-income white-collar workers, blue-collar workers who earn significantly less and work long hours would be unable to continue working longer than the retirement age, mainly due to physical strain. This also adversely affects their Social Security benefits because life expectancy is reduced as a result of working harder and longer.
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror US, economics professor Teresa Ghilarducci commented on the effects of increasing productivity and generating wealth through this approach. Ghilarducci explained, “We would have a higher GDP if 7-year-olds worked, but we’ve decided our economy’s wealth is not just dependent upon our output, but our quality of life.”
Oz’s suggestion has sparked backlash against him on social media. Many netizens have called him out on X. One user wrote, “Tell that to the 65-year-olds who have broken and worn down their bodies to do the manual labor in this country.” A second one stated, “It’s not our job to ensure the country allocates their funds properly.”
Maybe Politicians should stop spending money the Country doesn’t have so then there wouldn’t be any debt.
— Nigel Reynolds (@nigelreynolds) February 3, 2026
Another user asked, “The National Debt we had nothing to do with, increasing?” The same user said, “The government can just send billions to other countries, and somehow it’s our fault?” A person stated, “To suggest such a thing is to not (to) understand the enormity of the debt.”
One user took a jibe at President Donald Trump’s Beautification Project and said, “How about raising taxes on the top 1 percent and not spending unnecessarily on golden offices, ballrooms, sports stadiums, monuments and concert halls to manage and reduce debt burdens?”
The White House is yet to comment on the Trump administration official’s remarks.
