As David Pepper writes in his excellent Pepperspectives piece today on the Trump Administration’s attack on Social Security,“These cynical extremists are now whipping out the same suppression tools and tactics they use for voters, and they’re using them against Social Security beneficiaries—again dishonestly framed as an effort to combat unproven fraud.”
Stuart and David discuss the obstacles that Trump is throwing up between Social Security recipients and the benefits they spent a lifetime earning - all to line the pockets of the billionaire donors and 13 billionaire members of Trump’s administration.
Approximately 67 million people in America receive Social Security benefits. Older adults account for 4 of every 5 beneficiaries, but 1 in 5 recipients receives SSDI, Social Security Disability Insurance, or are the young survivors with parents who have died and are eligible to receive their benefits.
There are economic implications that go far beyond the devastating impact that losing or cutting back these earned benefits will have on the retired, disabled, and survivors. Social Security payments are used to pay for goods and services in our economy. You might not know someone receiving SSI or SSDI, but you’re living in an economy that, in part, runs on these benefits being spent every month. That’s the cold calculus of why we should honor our commitment to those who have paid into the system. The more important reason is that the lives of millions of our parents, grandparents, disabled loved ones, and young survivors will be devastated if Trump and Musk are successful.
There are ways to fight back now. Stuart and David discuss them. We hope you enjoy their conversation.
Thank you, Amy Gabrielle, Stephen Powell, Meidas_hj, Dorian Rudnytsky, and many others for tuning into our live video with David Pepper! Join us for our next live video in the app.
