LETTER: Social Security in jeopardy
The neon warning is on the wall. In order for President Trump to fund his “big beautiful” tax plan without ballooning the federal deficit (now projected to cost between $4 trillion to $10 trillion over 10 years), he will have to break Social Security along with Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Affairs department. Elon Musk’s DOGE and the upcoming tariffs debacle will not save the day.
Acting Social Security Administration Commissioner Leland Dudek has plans to slash 7,000 jobs, more than 12% of SSA personnel, and close regional field offices. These cuts include critical software/computer systems service teams. Dudek even threatened to partially stop payments regarding a court dispute over allowing DOGE access to secure data.
How long can Social Security continue to fulfil its mission under this relentless mounting pressure? This administration seems to have forgotten that millions of our disabled, elderly and retirees depend upon on-time delivery of their monthly Social Security checks to pay for their necessities.
A hollowed-out, broken Social Security impacts all disabled, retired and working Americans regardless of political party affiliation. Do these directives feel like a legitimate pathway toward making America great? If not, then act now. Share your concerns today to your family, friends, neighbors and elected officials. We all need to speak up now or else be prepared to experience a retirement far less golden than we had planned.
John Carnahan
North Strabane