Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today released the following statement on Democrats’ Social Security Day of Action:
“Social Security is a sacred trust that hardworking Rhode Islanders have paid into their whole careers so they can enjoy the dignified retirement they have earned,” said Whitehouse, a founding member of the Expand Social Security Caucus. “The Trump administration, Elon Musk, and their DOGE wrecking crew are waging an assault on Social Security, and seem to be gutting it to provide cover for handing it off to their private equity cronies. I will continue to put a spotlight on these wasteful and destructive Republican policies, and will do everything in my power to protect and expand Social Security.”
Over 230,000 Rhode Islanders receive Social Security benefits. On average, 120,000 Americans visit and 233,000 call the agency’s field offices every day. Last month, Whitehouse was joined by Governor Martin O’Malley, former Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, for a Virtual Assembly to discuss the Trump administration, Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and Congressional Republicans’ hostility toward Social Security.
The Trump administration has offered buyouts and early retirement to the entire staff of 57,000 of the Social Security Administration, and has indicated plans to close field offices and slash 7,000 employees who help administer the program. Last week, the Social Security Administration announced that it would exclusively use the Musk-owned social platform X to make announcements going forward, instead of posting updates to the website. The Trump administration is pushing out both front-line customer service staff and the technical staff who manage the Social Security databases and ensure the IT systems function properly.
Elon Musk has falsely called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time” and said that alleged fraud in entitlement programs is “the big one to eliminate.” DOGE has sought to ignore a court order and push for access to Americans’ sensitive and private data at the Social Security Administration. The President used his joint address to Congress and the nation to spread bizarre lies about rampant fraud in the system.
Senator Whitehouse is committed to safeguarding and defending Social Security for the seniors who rely on it. In early March, Whitehouse and Senate Democrats wrote a letter to Social Security Administration Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek warning that President Trump and Elon Musk’s scheme to purge the Social Security workforce will threaten the ability of millions of Americans to get their earned benefits.
Whitehouse’s Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act would protect the solvency of Social Security and Medicare for the long term by requiring the nation’s highest earners to contribute a fairer share of their income into the system. Whitehouse also cosponsored the Social Security Fairness Act, which was signed into law by President Biden in January. The legislation eliminated two policies that reduced Social Security benefits for public service employees.
