SCHUMER REVEALS: MUSK AND TRUMP ARE TRYING TO BREAK SOCIAL SECURITY IN NY AS ‘DOGE’ ENDANGERS $7+ BILLION IN MONTHLY CHECKS FOR OVER 4 MILLION NEW YORKERS; SENATOR SOUNDS ALARM TO PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AMID CRASHING WEBSITES, LONG WAIT TIMES & NY OFFICES CLOSING – SAYS ‘DOGE’ NEEDS TO GET HANDS OFF NY’S SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security Services Are Breaking Down For New Yorkers Who Rely On Monthly Checks To Live, With NY Offices Closing, Websites Crashing, Hours Long Wait Times, And Now ‘DOGE’ Firing 7,000+ SSA Workers Who Help Seniors, Disabled, & Families Get Their Benefits

Senator Breaks Down Impact Region By Region In NY Of ‘DOGE’ Destructive Attacks On Social Security Benefits For 4.3M NY-ers That Threatens Their Monthly Checks And Services

Schumer: ‘DOGE’ Cabal Needs To Get Their Hands Off NY Seniors’ & Families’ Social Security Checks

Amid reports of the Social Security Administration (SSA) core operations breaking down from the Trump administration and ‘DOGE’ systematic attacks and rash cuts, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer sounded the alarm on the looming crisis for over 4 million New York seniors, people with disabilities, and families who rely on their monthly checks to live, pay rent, buy food and make ends meet.  

In the past month, the SSA website has already crashed four times in 10 days, blocking millions from accessing their accounts, and seniors have had to wait more than two hours on clogged phone lines. 

“When it comes to Social Security, Trump and ‘DOGE’ are purposely causing chaos and inefficiency to attack the program millions of New York seniors and families rely on to make ends meet. It’s appalling and they need to back off,” said Senator Schumer. 

‘DOGE’ has already taken credit for closing two NY Social Security Offices in Westchester and Chemung County, and are pursuing further cuts, including eliminating 12% of agency staff.

“This is a direct attack on New York seniors’ Social Security checks. From Rochester to Rockland County, nearly 4 million New Yorkers rely on Social Security every month. But right now, Trump and Musk, two billionaires, are trying to take a chainsaw to your Social Security benefits by closing offices, firing staff, shutting off the phone lines, and adding burdensome bureaucratic rules for seniors, people with disabilities and their families. It’s outrageous, and, if they continue to cut Social Security operations to the bone, the system soon won’t be able to function,” said Senator Schumer. “These cuts make no sense – they are closing offices and saying they want to shut down phone service at the same time, how do they expect seniors to get their benefits? Already the Social Security safety net is breaking at the seams. If no one can take your call, if the website keeps crashing, if they fire the staff that process your claims, that’s a cut in benefits. New Yorker’s aren’t falling for it and won’t stand for it. I have a simple message for ‘DOGE’ and Trump: Hands off New Yorkers Social Security.”

Schumer said these massive cuts to services come as ‘DOGE’ plans to cut off Social Security 1-800 phone helplines and require in-person visits, which, in tandem with massive staffing cuts, experts say will lead to massive disruptions for New Yorkers relying on over $7+ billion in benefits every month. The senator said we need congressional Republicans, especially those in the NY delegation, to stand up to ‘DOGE’ and tell them to get their hands of New Yorkers’ Social Security.

A county-by-county breakdown of Social Security beneficiaries across New York can be found here for SSI and Old Age, Survivors, and Disability benefits. Schumer said this impact can be seen at a staggering level across every region of Upstate NY:

Schumer said staffing shortages, office closures and mandatory in-person identity checks will make it more difficult for people to access the assistance they need to receive their Social Security benefits. Elon Musk has targeted Social Security, calling it a “ponzi scheme” and saying that Social Security is "the big one to eliminate". Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik said his mother wouldn’t call and complain if she didn’t receive her Social Security benefits. Schumer said rather than making the government more efficient, these cuts will reduce government efficiency by making it more difficult for Social Security beneficiaries to receive their hard-earned benefits. Former Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley said these cuts will crush our seniors and most vulnerable, and the system could collapse within a month, interrupting benefits.

Already, the SSA website has crashed four times in ten days this month, preventing millions of Social Security beneficiaries across the country from logging into their online accounts. Beneficiaries are calling for help but with fewer workers to answer phones due to staffing cuts, wait times are much longer.

In addition, the Trump administration issued new guidance that millions of Social Security recipients must verify their identities in person at agency field offices, which they were previously able to do over the phone. The Trump administration is closing six of the ten regional offices that oversee field operations. Schumer said this will particularly hurt rural areas and New Yorkers with mobility issues who have trouble accessing in-person offices who may live far from a field office or have limited internet access, especially given an alarming pattern of SSA local office closures. Earlier this year, the White Plains Social Security office lease was terminated and listed on the ‘DOGE’ website as cost saving in addition to the Big Flats office in Chemung County.

Schumer added, “Elon Musk may not understand how a senior citizen depends on Social Security payments to buy food and pay rent, but New Yorkers do. Social Security is not a ‘ponzi scheme’ or ‘government waste’; it is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers that I’m calling on my Republican colleagues in Congress, especially in the New York delegation, to help us protect.”

Social Security has been a crucial piece of the social safety net since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the law creating it in 1935, and it was designed to be self-sufficient. It has a dedicated revenue source from payroll taxes, which workers split with their employers. Schumer has expressed concerns that layoffs and sudden closures mean hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and millions of Americans who depend on Social Security could be in serious trouble.

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