A fierce debate over how to reform Social Security is playing out in the nation’s capital as the program’s long-term solvency is in question and amid new efforts to cut staff and restrict services from billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
The push to reform the program, which delivers a monthly check to some 70 million people, came as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the agency will testify before the Senate on Tuesday.
Frank Bisignano, chief executive of financial technology company Fiserv, is expected to face questions over changes at the Social Security Administration and whether plans to cut costs will interfere with the agency’s ability to process and disburse benefit checks to more than 72 million people.
Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) sparked renewed debate over Social Security cuts over the weekend after he said Republicans are not being forthright with voters over Social Security.
“We’re not being honest when we look people in the eye and say we’re not going to touch it. If we don’t touch it, it touches itself,” Curtis said during an appearance on Meet the Press on Sunday. He referred to projections that benefits could be depleted in less than 10 years.
Curtis said he intends to introduce legislation that would change Social Security in a few months but declined to preview the bill.
Earlier this month, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) made a similar statement and issued a warning on the solvency of Social Security and other programs.
“People are, they’re thinking the way … they want us saying that you know, you can’t cut, you can’t cut, you can’t cut,” Scott said while speaking at a summit hosted by the organization Rescuing the American Dream.
“Medicare is going bankrupt, Social Security is going bankrupt. Inflation can’t go away. Interest rates can’t come down,” Scott added. “’So, my belief is we’re going to have to do this.”
Republicans on Capitol Hill are searching for ways to cut $1.5 trillion in spending over the next 10 years in their looming budget battle. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently said Republicans would have to make cuts to either Medicaid or Medicare to reach their targets.
Trump has repeatedly said he will not cut Social Security benefits. In January, he said his administration would “love and cherish” Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
“We’re not going to do anything with that unless we can find some abuse or waste,” he said while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office. “The people won’t be affected. It will only be more effective and better.”
“I will never do anything that will jeopardize or hurt Social Security or Medicare,” Trump said in an interview with Breitbart in March 2024.
However, Musk, who now wields major power in his role in cutting government spending, has made comments critical of the program. He called it “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time” during a three-hour interview with Joe Rogan this month.
The billionaire also said, without offering proof, that undocumented immigrants are collecting fraudulent benefits from both Social Security and Medicare.
In recent weeks, DOGE has taken a chainsaw to the agency’s operations. At a time when SSA’s staffing is at a 50-year low, the agency announced plans to cut up to 12% of its workforce. Dozens of SSA offices are slated to close this year due to actions taken by DOGE. The DOGE website listed 47 SSA offices listed for closure.
Last week, the agency announced changes requiring beneficiaries to prove their identity when claiming benefits or changing their direct deposit information to crack down on fraud. Beginning on March 31, beneficiaries will no longer be able to verify their identity on the phone. They will either need to register for a My Social Security account online or visit a Social Security office.
Democrats are now mobilizing and organizing, making it clear they view threats to Social Security as a political opportunity. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, previewed her strategy ahead of Bisignano’s hearing during a call with reporters organized by the Democratic National Committee on Monday.
“We have asked him to commit to putting a stop to the cuts to people’s services and benefits, and so far, he has refused to answer,” Warren said. “We will see what he really thinks about these cuts at the hearing tomorrow.”
Warren and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter to Bisignano earlier this month. They posed a series of questions in an attempt to understand how Bisignano would address “the threats from these cuts,” as well as whether he would allow Musk and DOGE to access sensitive information and whether he intended to implement the suggested cuts.
TRUMP NOMINEE TO LEAD SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION TO FACE QUESTIONS OVER DOGE CUTS
“No matter what Musk and Trump try to do to rip away people’s hard-earned benefits, Democrats will fight them at every turn. Senate Democrats have sent the message loud and clear: keep your hands off American’s Social Security,” Warren said Monday.
On the DNC call, lawmakers and officials did not discuss possible reforms of the program or fears about shortfalls in its finances. Unless Congress acts to shore up Social Security, it is expected to deplete its reserves in 2033, triggering a 21% reduction in benefits.
