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John,

Yesterday, Donald Trump announced plans to close the Kennedy Center for two years, for a “Complete Rebuilding,” to go along with Trump’s earlier addition of his own name to President Kennedy’s memorial.1

First it was the East Wing. Now it’s the Kennedy Center. Donald Trump is demolishing our history and rebuilding it in his own image. Social Security is next.

The Trump administration has earmarked the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, which was constructed to be the original headquarters of the Social Security Administration, for “accelerated disposition.” In short, he’s aiming to sell the land to a developer who will bulldoze it.

The walls of the Wilbur Cohen building are covered in historically significant murals such as Ben Shahn’s The Meaning of Social Security and Seymour Fogel’s The Wealth of the Nation.

This is about more than a building! Trump is undertaking an Orwellian plot to erase Social Security’s history! We won’t let him win! Rush a donation today!

The Wilbur Cohen building was designed to incorporate publicly owned art that inspired civic pride and common purpose in the public servants who reported for duty in the building. Image of the Wealth of Nations mural

For decades, Republican politicians have sought to dismantle the Social Security system that was built by the New Deal, and expanded by successive administrations of both parties. Every time, they have failed because the American people know the meaning of Social Security, and the value it holds in their lives.

In order to dismantle Social Security, today’s billionaires and the politicians who serve them are undertaking a project of propaganda to eradicate the public’s memory of life before Social Security. We cannot allow this Orwellian plot to destroy Social Security to succeed.

Already, more than 100,000 people have sent messages demanding we STOP Trump’s bulldozers. Our campaign has been covered in the Washington Post,2 Forbes,3 and the prestigious New York Art publication Hyperallergic.4 And we’re just getting started.

Can you rush a donation to stop Trump from bulldozing Social Security’s history?

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Thank you,

Alex Lawson
Social Security Works

1 https://washingtonian.com/2026/02/02/could-trump-tear-down-the-kennedy-center-like-he-did-the-east-wing/
2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/art/2026/01/22/cohen-building-new-deal/
3 https://www.forbes.com/sites/rdaniel-foster/2026/01/29/historic-new-deal-social-security-murals-face-possible-erasure/
4 https://hyperallergic.com/activists-fight-to-salvage-the-sistine-chapel-of-new-deal-art/

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H Who We Are
Social Security Works leads the fight every day to expand and protect our Social Security system. Become a member today.
D Social Security Works for Everyone!
From SSW's co-founders, Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson, this book builds on the success of 2013's Social Security Works: The Book, updating and expanding its argument that Social Security is the best way to protect and expand the insurance Americans love and count on. Order your copy today!

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