The Social Security system has seen better days. As the Trump administration makes significant personnel cuts and closes offices, the Social Security Administration is reportedly now preparing for additional cuts to regional offices.
That is, of course, just the start. The New York Times reported last week on the “mess” within the Social Security system. The Washington Post reported a day earlier that retirees and disabled people are “facing chronic website outages and other access problems.” The Wall Street Journal added that people who show up at Social Security offices are confronting multi-hour waits.
It doesn’t help that the administration is misusing the Social Security system in legally dubious ways, Elon Musk is slamming Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme,” and JD Vance is using his vice presidential platform to peddle discredited claims about the system.
Donald Trump might’ve promised voters that Social Security would go untouched if he returned to the White House, but it’s already clear that the Republican president and Elon Musk’s DOGE operation have destabilized the system to a degree without modern precedent.
This has not gone unnoticed in Democratic circles. On the contrary, the party that’s responsible for creating Social Security is investing new time and energy into fighting on the program’s behalf. The Associated Press reported on one especially familiar figure stepping up in support of the system.
Former President Joe Biden returns to the national stage Tuesday to elevate liberal concerns that President Donald Trump’s agenda is threatening the health of Social Security. … Biden is expected to fight back in an early evening speech to the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago. While Biden has made a handful of public appearances in recent weeks, Tuesday’s high-profile address focuses on a critical issue for tens of millions of Americans that could define next year’s midterm elections.
The former president will be joined by, among others, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who led the Social Security Administration during the Biden administration and who has launched a new organization — a political action committee called Win Back Our Country — that intends to focus on protecting the program.
O’Malley will have plenty of partners. The Democratic National Committee, for example, has launched a new Social Security “war room,” and party leaders on Capitol Hill created a “day of action” focused specifically on Social Security. “Republicans want to slash this critical lifeline by making it harder for seniors and people with disabilities to access their earned benefits,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a joint statement. The New York Democrats added, “Shutting down local offices, firing large numbers of experienced constituent service workers and cutting phone services makes it harder for people to get their checks. Republicans are trying to kill Social Security from the inside — it is a cut by another name — and we won’t let that happen.” Soon after, Schumer called on the acting head the Social Security Administration, Leland Dudek, to “resign immediately.” If you’re thinking this issue will remain a Democratic priority between now and the 2026 midterm elections, you’re not the only one.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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