“President Trump put on full display his negligence toward seniors — and his administration’s misplaced priorities — with the release of the White House FY 2026 budget today. The President proposes to flatline funding for the Social Security Administration (SSA), which already has been chronically underfunded. Proposing to fund the SSA at 2024 levels is, in fact, a cut because costs rise every year. This is the last thing SSA needs after Trump unleashed Elon Musk and DOGE on the agency.
In a fake hunt for ‘fraud’ and ‘inefficiency’ at one of the most efficient federal agencies, the Trump administration has slashed the SSA workforce to record low levels and made it harder for seniors to access their earned benefits. Pending claims have swelled since Trump took office and the SSA website has crashed several times. With 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day, this is an agency in need of more resources, not less.
The President’s negligence toward seniors and other vulnerable members of society also is apparent in his request to slash 25% from the budget for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — a massive cut of dystopian proportions. This includes $674 million the White House proposes to cut from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency responsible for administering major federal health programs. The White House claims this will not hurt beneficiaries, but you cannot cut that kind of money from CMS without impacting Medicare and Medicaid patients. The ability of beneficiaries to acquire information and services will be compromised — as part of Trump’s phony crusade against ‘waste’ and ‘wokeness.’
We must ask why this administration continues to ask the most vulnerable Americans to make sacrifices — for what, we’re not sure — while showering favors on the wealthiest in our society.” – Max Richtman, President and CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security