John,

Last night, Donald Trump spent a good chunk of his joint address to Congress spreading easily-disproved lies about Social Security.

He falsely claimed that Elon Musk and his goons had found billions of dollars of fraud at the Social Security Administration. It’s a complete lie―so what’s the point?

For nearly a century, Republicans and their billionaire paymasters have wanted to destroy our Social Security system, but the system’s overwhelming popularity with the American people has protected it.

So Donald is executing a two-step strategy to make his billionaire buddies’ plan come true, without being blamed himself:

Step One: Claim Social Security is already broken.
Step Two: Break it.

Trump’s litany of lies last night were part of step one. So was Elon Musk’s claim on the Joe Rogan podcast that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme”.

Now, Musk’s DOGE is in the process of laying off at least 7,000 workers and closing Social Security offices around the country. They have already forced out many of the agency’s most senior leaders, a mass exodus of institutional knowledge and expertise. Many of the workers laid off are the same ones who ensure that Social Security does not pay benefits to dead people.

According to Social Security’s most recent Senate-confirmed commissioner, Martin O’Malley, this will result in a “system collapse” within the “next 30 to 90 days.”

Social Security has vanishingly low rates of fraud, far less than private sector retirement programs. Lying about it is a convenient way to justify cutting off benefits to people deemed enemies or undeserving under the false label of “fraud.”

Make no mistake: They are coming for our Social Security benefits and they won’t stop unless we stop them. Social Security Works is mobilizing our allies on Capitol Hill and across the country to defeat these attacks. Rush a donation today!

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Thank you,

Michael Phelan
Social Security Works

P.S. For a longer explanation of why Donald Trump’s lies are so easily disproved, and what’s actually going on in the Social Security Administration spreadsheet, read this and share it with your friends. Then, chip in!