Okay But Why Is Social Security at Risk?
Social security has been in the spotlight a lot lately. Far-right politicians, media personalities, and tech bros have been on a campaign to undermine confidence in a program that has been working extremely well for nearly a hundred years.
Trump and Elon Musk claim that Social Security is rife with corruption and fraud. Recently, Musk told podcaster Joe Rogan that it’s “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” But whenever unbiased, nonpartisan groups study the numbers, they find very little fraud. Instead, they find millions of people who depend on Social Security for their very survival.
A Brief History of Social Security
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law in 1935 in the middle of the Great Depression. He saw millions of Americans suffering from unemployment and poverty, enduring hunger, malnutrition, and homelessness, and he believed it was the government’s duty to help.
The concept of social security is simple: American workers pay into the program throughout their years of employment, and then after decades of working hard, they can retire with a well-earned safety net to help cover monthly expenses. Millions of Americans rely on these Social Security payments for their survival. It’s particularly important for women and people of color. Yet, the current administration wants to get rid of it.
As Senator Tina Smith said at a recent Social Security Commission hearing, “It has become clear to me that since Elon Musk’s DOGE took over the Social Security Administration last month that this administration is intent on dismantling Social Security. Now, President Trump understands that Americans love Social Security, and so he’s claimed that his administration won’t touch Social Security, but that is not what is happening and Americans can see it.”
So…Why are they coming after this essential program?
Like Nadine, a grandmother in Ohio. She had to move in with her son and daughter-in-law because of cuts to her Social Security. The Social Security cuts have affected Nadine so much that at age 73, she’s going back to work at the Revere School District as a part-time custodian.
Social Security pays benefits to retired people, disabled people, and widows or widowers – currently about 68 million people. The average payment is about $1900 a month. 23% of retirees say that Social Security is their only source of income. It’s funded primarily by payroll taxes – when you see those deductions on your paycheck for FICA, the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, that’s Social Security.
It is true that a big chunk of the federal budget goes to Social Security. In 2024, it was 21% of the federal budget, or $1.5 trillion. But the vast majority of that money comes directly from our payroll taxes. We’re all paying into a system with the expectation that when we retire, we’ll get that money back again. And for years, Social Security actually took in more money than it paid out. It’s only now, with so many Baby Boomers retiring and the rapidly shrinking middle class that the program is starting to lose funds. It’s projected that benefits will need to be cut starting in 2033. That’s a problem that definitely needs to be fixed.
But instead of addressing the real problems we have with Social Security, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are spreading false information about rampant bureaucracy and fraud. The truth is, the amount of bureaucracy and fraud in Social Security is very very low.
And the minimal fraud that does occur is caught by social security administrators (i.e. federal employees). You know, the ones who are getting laid off by the thousands. Not only is “bureaucracy” not the problem, we actually need those federal employees to find and prevent fraud.
Social Security isn’t a Democrat or a Republican issue. Millions of Americans across the country rely on their monthly payments. If we unite on this issue, we can have a real impact. Learn more about social security and other kitchen table issues here.