John,

Donald Trump is on his way out the door, but before he goes, he’s attempting to undermine and destroy many critical institutions we rely on―including Social Security.

Last year, the Trump administration introduced a proposed rule change that, if implemented, would result in hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities losing their Social Security benefits. We fought back and submitted more than 130,000 public comments opposing this rule.

At the time, thanks to you, the administration appeared to back off. But now, with just weeks remaining in their term, they’re pushing through this dangerous rule change that threatens the financial security of hundreds of thousands of Social Security recipients.

Join Social Security Works and our allies in calling on the incoming Biden-Harris administration to rescind this Trump-era rule on day 1, and remove Donald Trump’s political appointees to the Social Security Administration who will otherwise remain in positions of power, undermining access to our earned benefits. Sign the petition today!

We know what the effects of the Trump proposal would be, because Ronald Reagan implemented a very similar benefit cut back in the 1980s. And Reagan’s policy ripped away the benefits of 200,000 Americans with disabilities.

The Trump administration proposal¹ would require millions of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries to re-prove their eligibility for benefits as often as every six months—far more frequently than is currently the case.²

The New York Times reported that during the Reagan administration “people with obvious physical and mental disabilities” lost their benefits “without having been interviewed” by the Social Security Administration.³ This led to the loss of 21,176 lives of people who relied on their Social Security benefits to survive.⁴

And, while Reagan was eventually forced to reverse his attack on Social Security after massive public outcry, the Trump administration is bringing back this cruel policy with no regard for history or human life.

There is no justification for this policy. The United States already has some of the strictest eligibility criteria for disability benefits in the world. More than half of all claims are denied.⁵

We must fight back. Sign the petition today to the Biden-Harris administration to rescind this devastating rule on their first day in office and to fire Donald Trump’s political appointees to the Social Security Administration who are implementing this policy.

Together, we’re fighting to protect and expand, never cut, Social Security for millions of Americans.

Thank you,

Michael Phelan
Social Security Works