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John,
The Washington Post reported this morning:1
The report summarizes new findings from the Inspector General that the Social Security Administration has been scandalously underpaying tens of thousands of deserving people, to a total of more than $100 million. This money belongs to the American people―and it should be a scandal that Trump’s Social Security Administration (SSA) hasn’t even bothered to attempt to correct it!
Social Security Works launched a campaign―cited by the Post―to demand that President-elect Biden clean house at SSA after taking the oath of office. This is just one more reason that it’s absolutely necessary! Chip in $7 today!
Often, media outlets like the Washington Post throw up their hands and refuse to assign blame in circumstances like this. But this remarkable piece recognizes that the culprits are the Republican appointees who have run and neglected SSA for decades. As Social Security Works President Nancy Altman says in the article:
SSA’s misplaced focus on overpayments rather than on all improper payments (including underpayments) is the result of decades of Republican leadership that’s focused on preventing people from getting the benefits they’ve earned.
Because SSA Commissioners serve staggered terms, they don’t typically change over when the President changes. George W. Bush appointed a commissioner near the end of his term, then Republicans blocked the confirmation of Obama’s replacement, giving Trump another vacancy to fill at the beginning of his term. If Biden doesn’t act to dismiss them, Commissioner Andrew Saul and his crooked Deputy Commissioners will continue to undermine Social Security from within throughout Biden’s first term!
Trump’s SSA Appointees have:
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Issued regulations to deny due process to people appealing disability hearings
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Pushed to increase disability reviews that create additional hurdles to maintaining benefits
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Collaborated on Trump’s scheme to defund Social Security
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Deprived tens of thousands of Americans of their earned benefits through underpayments!
This is utterly disqualifying―and that’s why it’s so important that we keep working, even throughout this holiday week, to keep the crisis of leadership at the Social Security Administration on Joe Biden’s radar!
The unions who represent Social Security employees have both issued votes of no confidence in the current leadership. But with the number of crises the Biden-Harris administration will have to address on January 20th, we must keep the pressure on to make sure that restoring our Social Security system after Trump is a top priority!
Thanks,
Michael Phelan
Social Security Works
1 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-thousands-social-security-checks-arent-even-in-the-mail/2020/12/29/c19ba5da-4a22-11eb-9025-57b4c8818a4a_story.html
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