Protect Social Security Benefits (UPDATED 10/7)

Updates

October 7, 2025: The Trump administration is considering changes to the disability eligibility determination process for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). These changes, especially eliminating consideration of age when evaluating applications, would disproportionately block older Americans with disabilities from qualifying for life-sustaining benefits.

August 27, 2025: A whistleblower complaint, filed by the Chief Data Officer at the Social Security Administration, has revealed that DOGE uploaded the agency’s full database to an unsecured cloud server. This database contains the names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, immigration statuses, and other sensitive information of 300+ million Americans. A breach of this database could lead to widespread identity theft, benefits loss, and the government re-issuing new Social Security numbers to every American.

Social Security is a social safety net program that provides monthly payments to older retirees and their families and to people with disabilities of all ages and work histories. Donald Trump repeatedly promised to protect Social Security, but this promise quickly proved false. Elon Musk’s DOGE swiftly gutted the workforce of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and chaotically rolled out and then reversed new SSA policies. Amid these tumultuous changes, which threaten the agency’s ability to efficiently and accurately administer benefits to 72.5 million people, SSA claims have reached record volumes.

Some proposed Social Security changes, like restricting telephonic applications for benefits, were scaled back after public outrage. However, staffing shortages and turmoil within SSA continue to block people from accessing the benefits they rely on for survival. Rather than addressing growing concerns over barriers to obtaining benefits, the SSA simply stopped publicly reporting performance metrics while encouraging its mostly elderly and disabled customer base to seek support through an online portal. The agency is also shifting critical staff away from field offices to cover the central SSA 1-800 line. Meanwhile, SSA leadership further erodes the SSA’s credibility by issuing press releases rife with demonstrably inaccurate claims.

Social Security is a lifeline for millions of Americans. Congress must demand adequate SSA staffing and transparent data on beneficiaries’ ability to access their benefits.