Unsubscribe [link removed]
( [link removed] )
Insider’s Report: Seniors Make the Case They Need Social Security to Live
The Trump Administration, billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is working to destroy Social Security from within.
They’ve now moved to slash one-third of the Social
Security Administration’s (SSA) technology team at a
time when we’re seeing SSA’s website crash more frequently than normal and seniors are experiencing longer delays and wait times.
They’ve now moved to slash one-third of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) technology team at a time when we’re seeing SSA’s website crash more frequently than normal and seniors are experiencing longer delays and wait times.
Every day it seems there is new effort to chip away at the infrastructure of SSA and make it dysfunctional. Under pressure to gut the federal workforce, SSA officials are cutting at least 7,000 staffers with potentially more layoffs in the future. And it’s changes like this that have prompted former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley to say:
“Everything they’re doing is driving this agency to system collapse. It will lead to interruptions in service, and that will ultimately cascade into more frequent system interruptions for the processing of claims, ultimately leading to system collapse and eventually the interruption of benefits.”
According to SSA workers, these policy changes, closures and staffing cuts ( [link removed] ) have caused “complete, utter chaos” and are threatening to send the agency into a “death spiral.”
Seniors are increasingly concerned their earned benefits are at risk as DOGE staffers tamper with SSA. And their concerns are only confirmed by Trump Administration officials like Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick who claimed, “Anybody who's been in the payment system and the processes, who knows the easiest way to find the fraudster is to stop payments and listen because whoever screams is the one stealing."
As one senior put it, “Do they expect us not to eat?” Billionaire Lutnick, along with other wealthy individuals in the Trump Administration are clearly out of touch with the needs and concerns of millions of retirees.
Bottom line, seniors need Social Security to live. They worked hard for their Social Security benefits. And millions of older Americans cannot afford to have our government miss a payment they are owed.
According to National Committee President & CEO Max Richtman: “Undermining the system through neglect is a classic tactic. You don’t need to slash checks directly — just make the process so dysfunctional that people lose faith in it. That’s how you kill Social Security without ever passing a single bill.”
Dan Adcock, the National Committee’s Director of Government Relations & Policy, protesting on the National Mall.
As one of the nation’s leading Social Security advocacy organizations, we are fighting back against the Trump Administration’s efforts to run roughshod over the agency that administers Americans’ earned benefits. Last Saturday we joined millions of protesters across the country — from Anchorage, Alaska to the National Mall in Washington, DC — for nationwide “Hands Off” ( [link removed] ) demonstrations against the Trump Administration’s reckless handling of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and a host of other federal programs.
Please make a gift today to support the National Committee’s urgent efforts to protect your earned benefits from unprecedented threats in Washington! ( [link removed] )
DONATE ( [link removed] )
Make a donation now to help us keep the pressure on Congress. Your continued support is essential to the National Committee's mission. ( [link removed] )
Latest Podcast Episode
Check out the National Committee’s latest “You Earned This” podcast episode: Former Social Security Chief Martin O’Malley. ( [link removed] ) The National Committee brings you an exclusive, on-the-record interview with former Maryland Governor and Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley. It’s a conversation that everyone who cares about the future of Social Security should hear. O’Malley, who led the Social Security Administration (SSA) during the final year of Joe Biden’s presidency, brings a voice of consternation — and determination — to the national conversation. His message is clear: Social Security is under attack, and the consequences for millions of Americans couldn’t be more dire.
Ask Us!
Whether you’re retired or approaching retirement, our team of experts in the field of Social Security policy is available to answer your questions about benefits.
You can either search our archives ( [link removed] ) for valuable advice on a broad range of concerns or submit your question here ( [link removed] ).
This week’s question is:
I’m curious about some information my lady friend received last fall from her local Social Security office. When her husband died at age 65, she was told to take widow’s benefits now, when she was 62, and when she turned 70 piggyback her own Social Security payments onto her widow’s benefit. I thought it was one or the other, not both.
Click here to read the answer. ( [link removed] )
( [link removed] )
Your Morning Read
A free subscription, keeps you on top of the latest news about your earned benefits.
( [link removed] )
Join Now/Donate
Your support sustains our campaigns in Washington to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.
( [link removed] )
Social Security Benefits
Learn more about the Social Security program and the policies the National Committee supports that would strengthen your earned benefits.
SSA and DOGE sued for putting benefits at risk ( [link removed] )
A new federal lawsuit against Trump/Musk/DOGE interference at the Social Security Administration is supported by organizations like the American Association of People with Disabilities, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. (April 5, 2025, MSN, Gabriela León)
Read More → ( [link removed] )
Max Richtman with Brett – March 11, 2025 - The Matt McNeil Show ( [link removed] )
In an extensive radio interview, NCPSSM President Max Richtman said of the Trump/Musk takeover at SSA: "We're looking at what's going on — the reductions in field offices, the slashing of staff, and all of the lies — and we know it's designed to undermine people's faith in Social Security." (March 11, 2025, iHeartRadio, The Matt McNeil Show)
Listen Here → ( [link removed] )
Jim Roosevelt on MSNBC ( [link removed] )
Jim Roosevelt, the son of NCPSSM's founder, discusses how the Trump administration and Musk's DOGE pose a grave threat to Social Security... in a live interview with MSNBC's Chris Jansing. "It should be the third rail of politics, but they're touching it, anyway." (April 7, 2025, MSNBC)
Watch Here → ( [link removed] )
Social Security Fears Rise Across US ( [link removed] )
Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said on April 2: "Under the influence of Trump, Musk and DOGE, the leadership of the Social Security Administration has been recklessly slashing services, offices, and staff." (April 7, 2025, Newsweek, Jasmine Laws)
Read More → ( [link removed] )
Protesters Across USA Tell Trump & Musk: “Hands off Social Security!” ( [link removed] )
From Anchorage, Alaska to the National Mall in Washington, DC, millions of protesters turned out on Saturday for nationwide “Hands Off” demonstrations against the Trump Administration’s reckless handling of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and a host of other federal programs. (April 7, 2025, www.ncpssm.org ( [link removed] ), “Entitled to Know” blog)
Read More → ( [link removed] )
4 Things To Watch for as Elon Musk Takes on Social Security ( [link removed] )
Long wait times to access benefits will worsen if the Social Security Administration drastically reduces staff and field offices, experts say. This is especially true of disability benefits, which already are “cumbersome and difficult to navigate,” National Committee President Max Richtman told NPR. (April 7, 2025, Go Banking Rates, Vance Cariaga)
Read More → ( [link removed] )
US Age Groups Most Vulnerable to Social Security Cuts ( [link removed] )
Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said on April 2: “Under the influence of Trump, Musk and DOGE, the leadership of the Social Security Administration has been recklessly slashing services, offices, and staff.” (April 4, 2025, Newsweek, Aliss Higham)
Read More → ( [link removed] )
( [link removed] )
( [link removed] )
( [link removed] )
Member contributions to the National Committee, a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization, are not tax-deductible.
© 2025 by the National Committee
111 K St, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20002
www.ncpssm.org ( [link removed] ) | 1-202-216-0420 ( 12022160420 )
View this email in browser [link removed] | Click here to unsubscribe [link removed] |
Email Preferences [link removed] | Privacy Policy ( [link removed] ) | Disclosure Statement ( [link removed] ) |
Click here to donate ( [link removed] )
