Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times lays out all the ways that the incoming Trump Administration could hurt Social Security. The prospects are scary.
Does not compete for a third term. No congressional restraint to his agenda. A recession will not affect his billionaire status. There is real concern for the economic health of the nation and possibly the world. I recommend most people including SSA employees to have at least six months of savings and pay down debt. This is not a joke.
I was stunned at how ignorant people are to Social Security Retirement and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) being part of the same program, and then you throw Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in there, and it's like they shut down and choose not to learn. That was a recent situation with a realtor, she had no desire to learn about the programs even if it helped her to sell houses in the future. I'm CERTAIN her vote was cast in iron for republicans. I have noticed a pattern over the years. Something, SOMEWHERE, even a billboard needs to explain Social Security and ALL it's programs to the public. I am just dumbfounded at the ignorance of the program by those who aren't actively using it, but paying into it. I always research what I am paying in to! It should be outlined where each SSA dollar paid goes.. (i.e. OASI, SSDI, SSI and SSA administrative costs and outline each title for each program). Is it, outside complex gov't manuals though? Not that I've seen....
"Trump’s fellow Republicans have alluded to yet others. In March, the House GOP caucus released a budget proposal that would eviscerate Social Security."
"The caucus members groused about how Social Security has expanded since it was originally signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935, through “the addition of disability benefits, dependents and survivors benefits, and the incorporation of automatic cost-of-living adjustments.”"
I would say that there is cause for worry by all classes of beneficiaries. For example, raising the retirement age and getting rid of the cost of living increases will adversely affect retirement benefits. However, it appears that the main target, for now, is disability benefits.
The only good news is that Republicans will only have a small majority in the House.
What we need are information campaigns to frankly scare the voters, MAGA and NON-MAGA, about the potential loss of their benefits. Many voters just don't understand. We have many MAGA voters in this country that love the Affordable Care Act but hate Obamacare! I am not being condescending. We need to reach low information voters if we want to save Social Security and other safety net programs.
A question that has yet to be determined is if agency leaders can fire SSA judges and upper management under Trumps 2.0?
The Court will assess the legal arguments on both sides. But the controversy invites a different question: Who wants ALJs to be able to be removed from office at will, instead of requiring that good cause exist for taking adverse action against them? To be clear, removal at will would mean that an ALJ could be fired by the agency for which they work either because their superiors disagreed with a decision they made, or for what would otherwise be an impermissibly discriminatory reason, or for no reason at all
I wonder if federal employees are having second thoughts on how they voted. Luckily, the House of Representatives is currently at 217 to 215 Republicans until around April Fools Day. Isn’t that appropriate for our well informed decision making skills?
I think federal employees need to look for other job opportunities. The writing is on the wall. Republicans are on the privatization SSA train. The Project 2025 crowd understands that this is their best shot.
Lol. And how exactly is he going to restore decency? By hawking gold shoes and Trump branded bibles? By appointing more convicted felons and serial rapists to run government agencies and handle foreign diplomacy? Do tell….
I don't see why everyone portrays Trump as an evil villain who is out to get Grandma's SS check? He didn't do it before! I am on SSDI and would be devastated by any cuts in benefits- even 10%! Give him a chance, he is NOT heartless and evil!
Did you read this article? His prior administration was taking steps to cut disability benefits but decided against moving forward. Trump needs to find a way to give the rich their tax cuts and reducing government benefits is a way to do that. This “hopefully” will be Trumps final term and he has nothing to lose.
Actually a loss to the SSA trust fund. Illegal aliens who pay in to the SSA trust fund but who will not be able to collect any benefits from it support the fund. Replacing them with people who will be extracting benefits from the fund is more expensive. Also, assuming the employer pays more they pass the greater labor cost to the consumers, which is us. Hitzik is correct. It will cost.
Reducing the federal workforce and budget will reduce the services and increase the time to obtain those services that much of our national sees directly or indirectly. This is going to hurt all of us.
"He didn't do it before!" 2:20 am - He and Republicans pulled out all the stops in his first term to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Only public pressure, including from MAGA folks who finally realized they were about to lose their heath coverage, and Senator John McCain's deciding vote against it saved the program. The Affordable Care Act now provides health coverage for 45 million Americans, with 18 million of that total provided by Medicaid Expansion.
Trump was trying to take away health coverage from millions of Americans, INCLUDING HIS OWN SUPPORTERS, and almost accomplished it. So tell me again how he is not "heartless and evil!"
The only thing that stopped Trump from allowing Congressional Republicans to attack disability benefits in his first term was his desire to win re-election. That is not an issue now. I expect a strong attack on Social Security disability benefits and an equally strong attack on the Affordable Care Act.
Depending on your viewpoint this could be a good or bad thing. Apparently Carolyn Colvin is putting together a planned return to full onsite work plan that should avoid the chaos of Saul’s plan. When everyone goes back to five days per week and remote workers are moved to field offices, RO’s, PSC etc, whatever is closest, there should be some semblance of order. Plus the 30 days notice will be nice. At least the plan is ready, just depends on when she decides to do it: before the chaotic executive orders that are coming or just waiting until the new administration tells everyone to.
Project 2025 also noted other ways employees could be booted from the agency without changing their classification, referring to the “mobilization” requirement of those in the Senior Executive Service (SES), the highest ranking civil servants.
“It means under penalty of removal, you can be resigned anywhere, not just organizationally, but geographically,” Sanders said.
“They can be reassigned tomorrow. You don’t need to fire them. You just reassign them and take the vacancy and put whoever you want in it.”
The author weakens his argument by stating that disability can take "months" to get approved when he should have said it often takes years to get disability approved.
You do know there’s only so many seats and parking spots at HQ right? Not to mention the fact that the footprint has been reduced substantially given the closure of multiple buildings.
Former Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley told Government Executive just before he resigned his post last week that his agency would stop hiring without additional funds. The White House included SSA spending in its recent anomaly request.
“We’re constantly trying to sprint up a downward escalator,” O’Malley said. “When Congress only gives us a three-month budget [at last year’s level] that’s effectively putting us in a position of a hiring freeze across much of the agency, with very limited ability to backfill against attrition.”
Similar attacks were made on disability benefits under the Reagan Administration. It backfired bigly: https://nosscr.org/cutting-social-security-disability-benefits-can-backfire-horribly/
Lol that is funny. I am just saying that cuts to the disability program were attempted under Reagan. It did not go well. I am comparing consequences, not administrations. Read the article refererenced in the link I provided.
I think you are needlessly spreading rumors here. It would only be prudent to plan logistics for something a future administration has a as a stated goal. Doesn’t mean she plans on doing it without being forced to.
27 comments:
Portugal looks good.
Does not compete for a third term. No congressional restraint to his agenda. A recession will not affect his billionaire status. There is real concern for the economic health of the nation and possibly the world. I recommend most people including SSA employees to have at least six months of savings and pay down debt. This is not a joke.
I was stunned at how ignorant people are to Social Security Retirement and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) being part of the same program, and then you throw Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in there, and it's like they shut down and choose not to learn. That was a recent situation with a realtor, she had no desire to learn about the programs even if it helped her to sell houses in the future. I'm CERTAIN her vote was cast in iron for republicans. I have noticed a pattern over the years. Something, SOMEWHERE, even a billboard needs to explain Social Security and ALL it's programs to the public. I am just dumbfounded at the ignorance of the program by those who aren't actively using it, but paying into it. I always research what I am paying in to! It should be outlined where each SSA dollar paid goes.. (i.e. OASI, SSDI, SSI and SSA administrative costs and outline each title for each program). Is it, outside complex gov't manuals though? Not that I've seen....
Zero percent worried. Trump will save Social Security and restore decency to this great nation. Merry Christmas Charles.
Has Hiltzik ever been right? If illegal aliens are reported their jobs will be filled by people who are paid more. Net win for SSA.
From the article:
"Trump’s fellow Republicans have alluded to yet others. In March, the House GOP caucus released a budget proposal that would eviscerate Social Security."
"The caucus members groused about how Social Security has expanded since it was originally signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935, through “the addition of disability benefits, dependents and survivors benefits, and the incorporation of automatic cost-of-living adjustments.”"
I would say that there is cause for worry by all classes of beneficiaries. For example, raising the retirement age and getting rid of the cost of living increases will adversely affect retirement benefits. However, it appears that the main target, for now, is disability benefits.
The only good news is that Republicans will only have a small majority in the House.
What we need are information campaigns to frankly scare the voters, MAGA and NON-MAGA, about the potential loss of their benefits. Many voters just don't understand. We have many MAGA voters in this country that love the Affordable Care Act but hate Obamacare! I am not being condescending. We need to reach low information voters if we want to save Social Security and other safety net programs.
A question that has yet to be determined is if agency leaders can fire SSA judges and upper management under Trumps 2.0?
The Court will assess the legal arguments on both sides. But the controversy invites a different question: Who wants ALJs to be able to be removed from office at will, instead of requiring that good cause exist for taking adverse action against them? To be clear, removal at will would mean that an ALJ could be fired by the agency for which they work either because their superiors disagreed with a decision they made, or for what would otherwise be an impermissibly discriminatory reason, or for no reason at all
I wonder if federal employees are having second thoughts on how they voted. Luckily, the House of Representatives is currently at 217 to 215 Republicans until around April Fools Day. Isn’t that appropriate for our well informed decision making skills?
I think federal employees need to look for other job opportunities. The writing is on the wall. Republicans are on the privatization SSA train. The Project 2025 crowd understands that this is their best shot.
Lol. And how exactly is he going to restore decency? By hawking gold shoes and Trump branded bibles? By appointing more convicted felons and serial rapists to run government agencies and handle foreign diplomacy? Do tell….
I don't see why everyone portrays Trump as an evil villain who is out to get Grandma's SS check? He didn't do it before! I am on SSDI and would be devastated by any cuts in benefits- even 10%!
Give him a chance, he is NOT heartless and evil!
Trump's going to save Social Security?? Please tell us how, with specifics please.
Did you read this article? His prior administration was taking steps to cut disability benefits but decided against moving forward. Trump needs to find a way to give the rich their tax cuts and reducing government benefits is a way to do that. This “hopefully” will be Trumps final term and he has nothing to lose.
Actually a loss to the SSA trust fund. Illegal aliens who pay in to the SSA trust fund but who will not be able to collect any benefits from it support the fund. Replacing them with people who will be extracting benefits from the fund is more expensive. Also, assuming the employer pays more they pass the greater labor cost to the consumers, which is us. Hitzik is correct. It will cost.
Reducing the federal workforce and budget will reduce the services and increase the time to obtain those services that much of our national sees directly or indirectly. This is going to hurt all of us.
"He didn't do it before!" 2:20 am - He and Republicans pulled out all the stops in his first term to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Only public pressure, including from MAGA folks who finally realized they were about to lose their heath coverage, and Senator John McCain's deciding vote against it saved the program. The Affordable Care Act now provides health coverage for 45 million Americans, with 18 million of that total provided by Medicaid Expansion.
Trump was trying to take away health coverage from millions of Americans, INCLUDING HIS OWN SUPPORTERS, and almost accomplished it. So tell me again how he is not "heartless and evil!"
The only thing that stopped Trump from allowing Congressional Republicans to attack disability benefits in his first term was his desire to win re-election. That is not an issue now. I expect a strong attack on Social Security disability benefits and an equally strong attack on the Affordable Care Act.
Depending on your viewpoint this could be a good or bad thing. Apparently Carolyn Colvin is putting together a planned return to full onsite work plan that should avoid the chaos of Saul’s plan. When everyone goes back to five days per week and remote workers are moved to field offices, RO’s, PSC etc, whatever is closest, there should be some semblance of order. Plus the 30 days notice will be nice. At least the plan is ready, just depends on when she decides to do it: before the chaotic executive orders that are coming or just waiting until the new administration tells everyone to.
Project 2025 also noted other ways employees could be booted from the agency without changing their classification, referring to the “mobilization” requirement of those in the Senior Executive Service (SES), the highest ranking civil servants.
“It means under penalty of removal, you can be resigned anywhere, not just organizationally, but geographically,” Sanders said.
“They can be reassigned tomorrow. You don’t need to fire them. You just reassign them and take the vacancy and put whoever you want in it.”
The author weakens his argument by stating that disability can take "months" to get approved when he should have said it often takes years to get disability approved.
Yawn
You do know there’s only so many seats and parking spots at HQ right? Not to mention the fact that the footprint has been reduced substantially given the closure of multiple buildings.
Former Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley told Government Executive just before he resigned his post last week that his agency would stop hiring without additional funds. The White House included SSA spending in its recent anomaly request.
“We’re constantly trying to sprint up a downward escalator,” O’Malley said. “When Congress only gives us a three-month budget [at last year’s level] that’s effectively putting us in a position of a hiring freeze across much of the agency, with very limited ability to backfill against attrition.”
Similar attacks were made on disability benefits under the Reagan Administration. It backfired bigly:
https://nosscr.org/cutting-social-security-disability-benefits-can-backfire-horribly/
Are you seriously comparing Reagan’s administration to Trumps?
Lol that is funny.
I am just saying that cuts to the disability program were attempted under Reagan. It did not go well. I am comparing consequences, not administrations. Read the article refererenced in the link I provided.
I think you are needlessly spreading rumors here. It would only be prudent to plan logistics for something a future administration has a as a stated goal. Doesn’t mean she plans on doing it without being forced to.
If an illegal alien has been using my SSN to report wages. Won’t that increase my benefit? Not sure how that helps the trust fund?
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