In a letter, 15 House Republicans emphasize the importance of Social Security, advise against cuts.
Retirement worries grow as seniors face Trump tariffs, stock selloff
Retired educator and part-time yoga instructor Vicki Knight says she feels stretched thin. “I’m semi-retired.” The Marietta, Georgia, resident says her Social Security income is not enough to live on and that a recent stock market selloff fueled by tariff uncertainty has complicated her plans.
A group of House Republicans are warning new Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano against making more staffing cuts or shutting local offices at an agency that is seeing increasing customer service wait times.
The plea to hold off on further agency cuts that could “further deteriorate customer service that has been subpar in recent years” came in a letter from 15 House Republicans shortly after the Senate confirmed Bisignano on May 6.
The Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Social Security has already been a target of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s attempts to downsize the federal government, a move that has many seniors on edge.
The agency’s acting director Leland Dudek has announced plans to cut 7,000 of its 57,000 staff members, although personnel is already at a record low and the number of eligible recipients at an all-time high. An estimated 3,000 had taken buyouts as of March.
The administration is also pushing to provide DOGE with access to the Social Security Administration data of millions of Americans. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on May 2 to let DOGE use the data after a federal judge in Maryland blocked Musk’s team from accessing it. That court ruling found Trump officials likely violated privacy laws by giving Musk’s aides “unbridled access” to personal information.
New identification rules added to the benefits application process, a policy floated to limit phone support and rumors that local field offices would be shuttered led to panic in March that resulted in website crashes and packed lobbies at some Social Security offices.
It also resulted in a deluge of complaints to congressional offices from constituents worried their Social Security benefits were at risk. The new letter, led by Rep. Nicole Malliotokis of New York, stressed that efforts to make government more efficient are important, but cannot come at the expense of Americans who rely on the benefits.
“We must use caution and consider the impact any changes would have so there are no disruptions in services for our seniors and disabled who depend on the Social Security Administration to receive retirement benefits and supplemental security income,” it states.
Democrats capitalize on concerns
Democrats have criticized Trump’s decision to place Bisignano, who has a track record as a “cutter” in the private sector, over an agency that Americans interact with throughout their lives and rely on in case of disability and to pay for retirement.
Democrats have seized on public concerns that Trump will target Social Security or trim its staffing to a level that it can no longer adequately serve Americans. They’ve been holding press conferences at local Social Security offices around the country and launched a “war room” to keep a focused message on a topic once known as the “third rail of American politics.”
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