WASHINGTON – Democrats warned Monday about President Donald Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk’s plans for Elon Musk, an agency that benefits tens of millions of Americans.

The Social Security recipient and former commissioner, lawmaker cried out a foul on the US Doge service and administration agenda that cuts employment, terminates office leases and changes the way Americans can contact agents.

Trump and his top reelection campaign donors “attack social security through the back door by making it more difficult for people to collect legally entitled benefits,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a virtual press conference hosted by the Democratic National Committee.

“The world’s wealthiest people may not understand what it means to worry about not getting a monthly Social Security check, but tens of millions of Americans know their fear deep within courage,” says Warren, a top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Development.

Last month, more than 73 million Americans received retirement and disability benefits. According to To the Social Security Bureau.

The agency will distribute about $1.6 trillion in profits this year. According to For your own data. This program accounts for about a fifth of its size. Federal expenditure.

Masks have a recent history of publicly attacking agents. he I said Podcast host Joe Rogan said in February that Social Security is the “largest Ponzi scheme of all time.” A few weeks later, Fox Business, mask I said Larry Kudlow is to host Social Security “the big thing to eliminate” when it comes to fraud and spending.

Job openings, office closures

In early March, Musk’s Doge announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs from Social Security and shut down a number of regional offices. media Report.

Despite potential office closures, the administration is also planning policy changes that require recipients to appear directly in order to verify certain changes to their accounts.

Federal judge on Thursday It will be temporarily suppressed Social Security Bureau from sharing access to confidential files with Doge.

“Democracy can tell us that they are waking up to a very, very realistic threat that they are coming for Social Security,” former Social Security Director Martin O’Malley said at the briefing.

O’Malley, a former Maryland governor, accused the Trump administration of allowing the agency to surge in numbers from 1 to 800 after he and former President Joe Biden worked to improve the hotline.

“Don’t make a mistake about that. To take away social security, Musk and Trump’s co-chairman must sour enough Americans in the agency, undermine trust in the agency, they do so and ruin and debilitate the agency’s ability to provide a high level of customer service,” O’Malley said.

Arizona Social Security recipient Darlene Jones, who retired early and had to care for adults with disabilities, said, “We went through life and worked for the rest of our lives to own what we had.

DNC Chairman Ken Martin said Trump and Musk “certainly, we don’t know how much it costs to cook dinner for a week, whether they’ll buy a bag of pet food or take the bus every day.”

Social Security data shows that about 12% of beneficiaries over the age of 65 and up are male and 15% of female. rely About social security checks for 90% of total income.

The White House states its intention to identify waste, fraud

The White House brushed away the attack in an email statement provided to the state newsroom.

“Americans who receive Social Security benefits will continue to receive them. Doge’s sole mission is to identify only waste, fraud and abuse,” says press secretary Karolyn Leavitt.

Acting Social Security Commissioner Lee Dudeck said in a press release Monday that the agency is “taking some important steps to increase transparency and accountability to help others understand the work of our agency and the complexities we navigate.”

Nearly 3,000 employees are on administrative leave or have been accepted offers to leave the agency in exchange for a one-off payment of up to $25,000. data Linked to the press release.

Furthermore, the agency schedule Save about $4 million in annual rent to close the 64 lease.

Musk took him to his social media platform X protect A new policy change that requires in-person office visits as a way to avoid fraud.

Confirmation hearing

New Jersey’s Frank Vignano, the Trump election who leads the agency, will appear on the Senate Committee on the Treasury on Tuesday.

Warren co-authored by her and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a top Democrat on the Finance Committee. letter Please “notify” Vignano this weekend.

“We are deeply concerned that these new developments will allow the Doge and Trump administrations to set up SSAs for failure, a failure that could block social security benefits for millions of Americans — to justify “private sector modifications,” writes Warren and Wyden.

Last updated at 5:25pm, March 24, 2025