Martin O’Malley, a former top official at the Social Security Administration, said that he feared that some Social Security recipients–including the elderly, people with disabilities, and others–might not see their May checks due to the Trump administration's layoffs at the agency.
“I truly believe there’s going to be some interruption of benefits for some period of time, and I believe that will probably happen in the very near future,” said O’Malley, “I’ve never hoped I was wrong so much in my life.”
O’Malley, who was commissioner of the federal agency during the Biden administration, shared his warning at a congressional town hall Monday at the LIU Post Tilles Center in Brookville sponsored by Reps. Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi.
Suozzi opened the April 21 briefing with a detailed PowerPoint, explaining what has been happening with the agency recently. Suozzi and Gillen said that there has been rising concern from their constituents over longer wait times, delayed checks and perplexing policy changes.
All three said that no changes to checks or benefits have happened yet. They also encouraged the audience to stay informed about the program and current agency changes.
The agency, which serves more than 70 million Americans, announced several cuts at the beginning of the month. It expects to cut 7,000 employees, shrinking its workforce to 50,000 with a 50 percent cut to the department’s IT staff.
Edwin Osorio, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, and Gabriel Pedreira, the legislative director for the American Federation of Government Employees, also spoke at the event.
They both emphasized the importance of social security and urged attendees to fight for what they were owed. Osorio explained that in addition to working with many Social Security employees at his job, he also worked at the federal level for the Social Security Administration.
Following about an hour of remarks, the hundreds of people gathered at the Krasnoff theater had the opportunity to ask questions, around 15 questions were asked.
Several audience members asked Suozzi what he, and other Democrats, were doing in Congress to counter some of the recent actions by the Trump Administration. Many audience members also expressed frustration and anxiety over potentially losing their social security.
Suozzi responded to those questions saying that his focus was finding areas of compromise with Republicans. He highlighted Republican representatives who were speaking out against Trump administration actions that he believed were hurting the public.
O’Malley, a former governor of Maryland and former mayor of Baltimore, also fielded questions from the audience. He said he was there to dispel “common myths” about social security, such as that the cuts would reduce waste and abuse and that undocumented immigrants would not pay into the system.
Constituents in the audience said they found the briefing and open question forum afterwards helpful and informative.
Suozzi ended the briefing, encouraging the audience to write letters to the editor of local papers, organize community meetings with those who think differently than they do, and participate in community efforts. He also encouraged writing and calling the offices of local and national officials as well as the White House.
