The Devastating Consequences of GOP Medicaid Cuts
House Republicans have taken another major step toward gutting the Medicaid program to pay for tax cuts largely benefitting their wealthy donors. On May 14, the GOP-controlled House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved budget legislation that slashes Medicaid funding by a jaw-dropping $717 billion over the next decade. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the Republican budget could strip health coverage from at least 13.7 million people. “Republicans are cutting them adrift, with no place else to turn for medical care except perhaps the emergency room,” says NCPSSM President Max Richtman, who labeled it “the most massive cut in Medicaid’s 60-year history.”
Don’t Claim Social Security Early Because of Trump & Musk
Many Americans nearing retirement age are understandably nervous about the future of Social Security under the Trump/Musk regime. Some people are claiming benefits early to hedge their bets against potential cuts or disruptions. The number of people filing for first time benefits jumped from roughly 500,000 in March of 2024 to 580,000 this year. These early filers are right to be concerned.
Trump Wants to Reclassify Social Security Staffers as Political Appointees
The Trump administration is again targeting the Social Security Administration (SSA) with changes that could undermine its mission. President Trump seeks to replace career civil servants at federal agencies (including SSA) with politically loyal appointees, using a classification known as “Schedule F.” This reclassification is designed to boost the president's control over career federal staffers by removing their civil service protections and making them easier to fire.
Upcoming Celebration Event
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin a laoreet magna, nec interdum nibh. Aliquam at lacinia arcu. Fusce vulputate mauris quis eros efficitur vehicula. Sed eget volutpat ipsum. Duis eget dui facilisis, interdum sapien a, rhoncus dolor. Sed pulvinar risus vel metus blandit, non consequat risus rhoncus.
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.
Jon “Bowzer” Bauman Sings the Praises of Social Security
Jon “Bowzer” Bauman is best known from the 70s tv show “Sha Na Na,” where he charmed audiences with his greaser persona, elastic expressions, and basso renditions of 1950s pop music classics --- including the band’s cover of “Goodnight, Sweetheart.” Over the years, though, Bowzer has evolved from doo wop revivalist to seniors’ activist --- especially when it comes to Social Security. He talked about his evolution from pure entertainment to entertainment and advocacy on a recent episode of the "You Earned This" podcast.
Former Social Security Official Says Musk/DOGE Caused “Trauma and Chaos” at SSA
Laura Haltzel is the first former Social Security Administration (SSA) official who was present for the Trump administration’s takeover of the agency to speak out publicly in an on the record interview. In her first interview since leaving SSA, Haltzel told Entitled to Know that Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “traumatized” SSA employees — and created “gross inefficiencies” in the system. Haltzel resigned her post as Associate Commissioner Office of Research, Evaluation and Statistics on February 28, accepting an early retirement offer that the administration extended to all SSA employees.
Former Official Reveals Recklessness of Musk’s Meddling in Social Security System
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is facing mounting scrutiny after a lawsuit was filed by labor unions seeking to block Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Americans’ sensitive personal data. According to the Washington Post, the legal challenge includes testimony from Tiffany Flick, a former senior SSA official, who warned in court filings that DOGE’s interference poses a serious threat to the security of data belonging to millions of people. Flick, who resigned her post at SSA after three decades, cited these actions as part of broader concerns over mismanagement and policy risk brought on by interference in the agency by Trump, Musk, and DOGE.
Trump & Musk Tried to Make it Harder for Parents to Register Newborns for Social Security
It started as a baffling and alarming decision. The Social Security Administration (SSA), under the influence of President Trump’s campaign to gut the federal government and Elon Musk’s DOGE team, announced the termination of Maine’s Enumeration at Birth (EAB) program. For 35 years, the EAB program had allowed parents to register their newborns for Social Security numbers right at the hospital. But suddenly, without warning, SSA moved to rescind this critical service, effectively forcing parents to register their children for Social Security with an SSA agent, at a time when Trump and Musk are closing SSA field offices and radically reducing the agency’s workforce.
Millionaires Are Done Paying Into Social Security for 2025
Millionaires stop paying into Social Security for the year on March 1st --- and billionaires already stopped contributing wages to the program in January. The rest of us continue paying into the system for the entire year. Is it fair that Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch, Charles Koch, and Tim Cook of Apple don’t have to contribute to Social Security for the rest of the year while most Americans do?