Please join me in standing up for the roughly 3 million Pennsylvanians that currently receive Social Security benefits by co-sponsoring a Concurrent Resolution declaring loudly and clearly that the Pennsylvania General Assembly stands united in demanding that the Trump Administration, Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and the U.S. Congress keep their “Hands Off Social Security.”
For 90 years, Social Security has provided millions of retirees with economic security in their retirement years. It is the primary source of income for many retired Americans and the cornerstone of the American retirement system. Today, over 70 million Americans receive social security benefits each month, benefits they PAID FOR and EARNED when they were working.
Unfortunately, Social Security is under attack in Washington. In just the last few weeks:
- Elon Musk called it “the biggest Ponzi Scheme of all time”
- The acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration:
- Handed the private, personal data of millions of Americans to DOGE operatives and then threatened to shut down the agency when a judge blocked the move.
- Announced that 7,000 employees, or 12% of the agency staff, are being cut.
- Announced plans to close 6 out of 10 regional Social Security offices and 47 field offices.
- Announced, and then delayed for two weeks, plans to make it more difficult for people to access benefits by reducing customer phone service options for beneficiaries.
Pennsylvania’s retirees are furious and anxious. Furious because their economic security is being attacked by the richest man in the world, who nobody elected to anything. Anxious because they know they’ll suffer if their monthly check is delayed or if they can’t access customer services, because the agency is being sabotaged from within.
Pennsylvania retirees are making their voices heard. By adopting this Concurrent Resolution, the Pennsylvania Senate and House, Republicans and Democrats alike, can stand shoulder to shoulder with them – and others across Pennsylvania and the nation — who are fighting for their financial future and the benefits they earned through a lifetime of work. We can, as an institution, with one voice tell the Trump Administration, Elon Musk, DOGE, and Congress to keep their “Hands Off Social Security.” I hope you will join me in this effort.