Trump Hands Big Pharma a Gift, Undermines Seniors
President Trump has signed a sweeping executive order that dilutes Medicare’s ability to negotiate prescription drug prices. Though the White
Martin O’Malley Makes the Case Against Trump, Musk & DOGE on Our Podcast
On Friday, April 4, our “You Earned This” podcast will feature a special guest: former Maryland Governor and Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley. It’s a conversation that everyone who cares about the future of Social Security should hear. O'Malley, who led the Social Security Administration (SSA) during the final year of Joe Biden’s presidency, brings a voice of consternation --- and determination to the national conversation. His message is clear: Social Security is under attack, and the consequences for millions of Americans couldn’t be more dire.
7 Questions for Trump’s Social Security Commissioner Nominee
President Trump’s pick to head the Social Security Administration, Frank Bisignano, will have his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday morning. The financial services CEO and Republican donor has been waiting in the wings since the Trump administration took over in January. In the meantime, Elon Musk and his DOGE squad have invaded the Social Security Administration (SSA) and wreaked considerable havoc on the agency --- alarming seniors’ advocates and a sizeable swath of the general public.
In the absence of a confirmed commissioner, Acting SSA chief Leland Dudek has abetted Musk and DOGE every step of the way, allowing them access to the sensitive personal data of 73 million Americans for no justifiable reason, radically reducing the workforce that serves Social Security customers, closing field offices, and slashing services on the agency’s 1-800 phone number that seniors rely on. He claims to be “following orders” from President Trump and Elon Musk. Dudek threatened to "shut down" SSA after a federal judge ruled against the agency's decision to grant Musk and DOGE access to beneficiaries' private data.
Bisignano has no appreciable experience in public service in general --- or Social Security in particular --- but Trump wants him to run one of the federal agencies that most closely touches Americans' lives every day. We don't know much about what Bisignano thinks of Social Security or what he will do to the program if confirmed.
Trump “Buyout” Offer May Devastate Social Security Administration
Voters may have sent various messages to Washington last November, but they certainly did not include a call to gut the federal workforce that serves American seniors and people with disabilities. Yet, that’s exactly what the Trump administration --- abetted by billionaire advisor ex-officio Elon Musk --- is attempting to do.
On Tuesday, federal workers --- including employees of the Social Security Administration --- received an email from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), offering “deferred resignation.” The email said employees could resign now and continue to receive pay and benefits through September --- an offer of dubious legality that was immediately criticized by Democratic lawmakers and labor unions representing federal workers.
Special Counsel in Biden Classified Documents Case Plays Amateur Gerontologist
By declining to charge President Biden but gratuitously impugning the president’s cognitive abilities, special counsel Robert Hur overstepped his bounds and fed into a blatantly ageist narrative. Hur pulled a “James Comey” yesterday in announcing that the president would not be charged with a crime but criticizing Biden’s handling of classified documents, just as Comey did with Hillary Clinton in 2016. (And we know how that turned out.) But, unlike Comey, Hur also felt the need to disparage the President’s age and his memory, referring to Biden as "a well-meaning, elderly man."
Seniors’ Programs in Jeopardy if Republicans Retake Majority
Any older voters inclined to put the GOP back in control of the House and Senate in November’s elections might well remember what the Republicans have long wanted to do to their earned benefits. As if to provide that very reminder, Senator Rick Scott, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, released a plan last week that would terminate Social Security and Medicare.
Biden Admin Begins Removing Malignant Trump-Era Rules
The new Biden administration has begun the arduous process of rescinding Trump-era rules harming the disabled and seniors. President Trump and his
Trump Administration Couldn’t Resist Taking Parting Shots at Medicaid on Its Way Out
None of the programs that provide seniors with financial and health security are better off after four years of the Trump
Seniors Win with Twin Senate Victories in Georgia
This week's twin Democratic victories in the Georgia Senate runoffs were a big win for seniors. Voters elected two champions of
What can President-Elect Biden Achieve for America’s Seniors?
President-elect Joe Biden campaigned as a champion for older Americans. His election victory gives seniors new hope at a time when