It is no hidden fact that the Department of Government Efficiency’s presence at the Social Security Administration (SSA) had sparked immediate criticism from former SSA officials, advocates, and others. DOGE had been deployed to the SSA by the Trump Administration with the task of enacting cutbacks and was, at the time headed, by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
The SSA in February also announced that it planned to reduce its workforce by about 12% over the course of the fiscal year, which would bring the total staff down from 57,000 to 50,000 employees. As a result, concerns were raised regarding the agency’s ability to continue to roll out benefit payments to America’s most vulnerable if the SSA had its lowest staff count on record in at least fifty years. Not to mention that the number of beneficiaries continues to grow, and currently there are over 70 million recipients in the Social Security program.
These staffing cuts at the agency are now being deemed “disastrous” by lawmakers and as a result, the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act has been introduced by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Here is what you need to know.
Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act — what will it do?
The proposal for the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act has been drafted by Sen. Sanders, as well as Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York. The group of senators have put forward this proposal with the aim of countering what they are calling the “disastrous” cuts that have been enacted at the SSA by the Trump Administration.
According to a statement from Sen. Sanders’ office, “This legislation — unveiled for the 90th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the Social Security Act into law — reverses the disastrous cuts the Trump administration has made to the Social Security Administration (SSA)…”
If passed, the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act would prohibit the closures of SSA offices, as well as relocations or service reductions. The Trump Administration enacted staff cuts would also be reversed and funding to improve customer service would be increased by $5 billion. The Act would also call for the safeguarding of citizens’ data, along with the removal of DOGE authority at the SSA.
Support for the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act
The backing for this new proposal is being provided by Sen. Sanders, Sen. Wyden, and Sen. Schumer. Additionally, the following individuals have also shown support for the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act, most of whom are Democrats:
- Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut,
- Kirsten Gillibrand of New York,
- Tina Smith of Minnesota,
- Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts,
- Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island,
- Andy Kim and Cory Booker of New Jersey,
- Angus King (an independent) of Maine,
- Peter Welch of Vermont,
- Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota,
- Chris Coons of Delaware,
- Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin,
- Mazie Hirono of Hawaii,
- Alex Padilla of California,
- Dick Durbin of Illinois,
- John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet of Colorado,
- Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland,
- Jeff Merkley of Oregon,
- Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia,
- Ruben Gallego of Arizona and
- Patty Murray of Washington.
“Since Trump has been in office, he has worked overtime — including with one of the wealthiest men in the world, Elon Musk — to dismantle Social Security and undermine the faith that the American people have in this vitally important program. Thousands of Social Security staff have lost their jobs, seniors and people with disabilities are having a much harder time receiving the benefits they have earned, field offices have been shut down and the 1-800 number is a mess. That is beyond unacceptable. On the 90th anniversary of Social Security, our job must be to reverse these disastrous cuts, expand Social Security and make it easier, not harder, for Americans to receive the benefits they have earned and deserve. That’s precisely what this legislation will do,” Sen. Sanders said in a statement.