Non-citizen workers pay into Social Security but lose eligibility
H.R. 8112 — Preserving Social Security and Medicare for Citizens Act of 2026 · Filed by Nancy Mace (R-SC) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 26, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill restricts Social Security and Medicare benefits to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, and expands payroll tax (FICA) obligations by removing exemptions for certain groups. It narrows who can receive these benefits while broadening who must pay into the system.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is to restrict Social Security and Medicare eligibility to citizens and lawful permanent residents, while simultaneously expanding the FICA tax base to include workers previously exempt. This is a targeted eligibility and tax policy, not a general reform.
What the text implies
- Non-citizen workers (including undocumented immigrants and visa holders) will pay FICA taxes but become ineligible for Social Security retirement, disability, and survivor benefits they would otherwise earn, creating a permanent subsidy mechanism from non-citizen labor to the citizen benefit pool.
- The bill does not address Medicare Part B premiums or cost-sharing for non-citizens already enrolled as of enactment (Section 2(b) grandfathers them), creating a two-tier system where some non-citizens retain coverage while new non-citizen workers cannot access it despite paying payroll taxes.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
U.S. citizen and lawful permanent resident Social Security beneficiaries (via expanded tax base with; Medicare trust fund (via expanded FICA tax base)