|
John,
Working people pay into our Social Security system with every single paycheck. Those payments ensure access to retirement, disability, and survivors benefits that provide critical peace of mind to millions. But those benefits are all but worthless if we can’t access them when we need them―and a decade of underfunding has left the Social Security Administration struggling.
For the first time in over 2 years, Social Security Administration offices around the country are re-opening tomorrow. But while that should be cause for celebration, it has us worried.
I’m about to explain what’s going wrong, and what Social Security Works plans to do about it. But first, can you make a donation to make sure we have the resources to execute our plans?
Prior to the pandemic, Social Security offices averaged 175,000 visitors a day―over 40 million every year! But over the past two years, most people who need the Social Security Administration’s help have only had two options: Call the 1-800 number, or go to SSA’s website.
People who called SSA’s 1-800 number endured record-breaking hold times, and a failing telephone system that sometimes drops their calls entirely. Those people have been waiting desperately for help from the dedicated workers at the Social Security Administration who are trained to help people through one of the most consequential financial decisions of their lives.
The people who show up at Social Security offices tomorrow will be people who have been failed by that telephone system. Yet as part of SSA’s plan to manage anticipated long lines, many people who were told over the telephone to visit an office could be turned away and told to go back to the phones. Without additional resources, this is a dystopian bureaucratic nightmare in the making.
Here’s how this happened: Republicans in Congress have spent the past decade slashing Social Security’s operating budget―even as 10,000 Americans were retiring every single day. SSA’s budget was slashed by 13% while the number of beneficiaries grew by 21%. Meanwhile, Republican appointees to the Social Security Administration pushed through closures of field offices and slashed the hours at others.
Why would Republicans do this? For years, they tried to cut benefits directly. But Americans across the country came together to stop the cuts. Realizing Social Security was too popular to cut, Republicans decided to undermine the program from within instead.
Generations of Americans have worked together to build our Social Security system over the past 86 years. The Social Security Administration’s budget comes from the $2.9 trillion Social Security trust fund with administrative fees costing just 1 cent of every dollar contributed.
Republicans intentionally sabotaged our Social Security system, leaving it vulnerable to this crisis. Starting tomorrow, two full years of pent-up demand is about to come flooding through the doors of local Social Security offices. Due to Republican-led sabotage and budget cuts, Social Security offices that couldn’t handle the pre-pandemic volume are going to have to reckon with an even higher caseload.
President Biden and his chosen Social Security Commissioner must remove Republican saboteurs who are undermining the program from within and replace them with people who understand that the agency’s mission is to serve beneficiaries, not make it harder to receive benefits.
Instead of closing field offices, Social Security should open more offices and hire more staff. They should authorize overtime and hold extended hours to make sure that the people Social Security exists to serve can get the help they need.
Congress must give SSA the resources needed to fulfill that mission.
Social Security Works and our allies in Congress are fighting for this much-needed funding. We only have a small window to prevent a disaster. Can you donate $5 to make sure we can execute our plan?
Thanks,
Michael Phelan
Social Security Works
|
