The Honorable John Larson
1501 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman Larson,
On behalf of the millions of members and supporters of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, I am writing to endorse two of your bills designed to address the recent chaos unleashed against the Social Security Administration. Members of the National Committee come from all walks of life and every political persuasion. What unites them is their passion for protecting and strengthening Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the other programs that are so vitally important to older Americans.
President Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE are trying to dismantle the Social Security program from the inside, by taking a wrecking ball to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Their actions at SSA may well break the system that delivers benefits to over 70 million Americans. It is outrageous that an unelected billionaire who himself receives hundreds of billions of dollars in contracts from the federal government is interfering with the benefits working Americans have earned and rely upon.
H.R. 1876, the Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act, would suspend Social Security field office closures until January 21, 2029. After that date, the Commissioner of Social Security would be required to submit a detailed report to Congress, laying out and justifying a process for closing, consolidating, or reducing access to field offices.
The bill also requires the Commissioner to maintain the total number of field offices and
hearing offices that were in operation on January 20, 2025, after the moratorium ends. In considering future office closures, the Commissioner must consider potential transportation and communication barriers for individuals served by the office, provide significant advance notice to the public and Members of Congress, and ensure opportunities for public input and appeals.
The second bill we endorse, H.R. 1877, Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act, would protect Americans from having their sensitive personal information politicized or bought and sold to the highest bidder. The bill prevents Elon Musk, his associates, and political appointees from accessing sensitive data systems at SSA. The bill also codifies SSA data privacy requirements into law and strengthens oversight and civil penalties for any privacy and disclosure violations of Social Security beneficiaries’ personal information.
You and the cosponsors of these two bills understand that Congress must build a firewall to contain President Trump and Elon Musk in their all too apparent campaign to cut and privatize Social Security by wreaking havoc on the agency that administers Americans’ earned benefits. On behalf of all working Americans and their families, we strongly endorse these bills and appreciate your steadfast and enthusiastic support for this critical agency and its mission to deliver the benefits workers have earned during their working lives.
Sincerely,
Max Richtman
President and CEO