In the first State of the Union-style address of his second term, Donald Trump spent several minutes advancing falsehoods about Social Security — an ominous sign of things to come, says Social Security Works president Nancy J. Altman.
“The last few weeks have been the most destabilizing for Social Security in its 90-year history,” she writes this week in OtherWords. Under pressure from billionaire Elon Musk, the Social Security Administration is preparing to lay off enormous numbers of staff, close field offices, and potentially even attack benefits.
“During the presidential election, Donald Trump blanketed swing states with campaign flyers pledging that he wouldn’t touch Social Security. Make no mistake: Trump has broken that promise,” Nancy warns. “Trump and Elon Musk are planning to utterly demolish Social Security’s customer service to pay for billionaire tax cuts.”
Also under the gun are essential programs like Medicaid and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, which protects working Americans from financial scams.
North Carolina mom and small business owner Raven MacFarlane-Bradbrook writes this week about how shredding Medicaid to finance billionaire tax cuts will hurt families like hers. And Chloe Rogers says consumers need to stand up for the CFPB against attacks from Trump and Musk.
Also this week, former Wells Fargo worker Kieran Cuadras explains how sky-high CEO pay leads to corporate misbehavior like the bank’s own false accounts scandal. And UNRWA USA leader Mara Kronenfeld makes a moving plea to restore humanitarian aid in Gaza, which Israel and the U.S. have blocked.
New This Week…
The Greatest Threat to Social Security in Its 90-Year History | Nancy J. Altman
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are planning to utterly demolish Social Security’s workforce to pay for billionaire tax cuts.
We Need Medicaid More Than Billionaires Need Tax Cuts | Raven MacFarlane-Bradbrook
Republicans in Congress want to gut Medicaid, denying life-saving health care for regular families to cut taxes for billionaires.
How Overpaid CEOs Hurt the Rest of Us | Kieran Cuadras
At Wells Fargo, I saw firsthand how excessive CEO pay harms workers and customers. Congress should use tax policy to rein it in.
In An Age of Scams, Our Economy Needs a Referee | Chloe Rogers
The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau has saved Americans $21 billion in cancelled debt and money back. But Trump and Musk want to eliminate it.
Stop the Weaponization of Humanitarian Aid | Mara Kronenfeld
I’m a proud Jewish American who helps fundraise for Palestinian refugees. My faith — and international law — demand an immediate resumption of aid in Gaza.
In Case You Missed It…
Who Should Pay for Climate Disasters? | Sonali Kolhatkar
Some states are landing on a straightforward answer: fossil fuel companies.
Don’t Let Insurers Get Away With Fleecing Homeowners | Kelsey Condon
In an age of climate disasters, insurance should be a safeguard for families, not a gamble where the house always wins.
We’re Parents. Trump’s Attacks on Trans Kids Don’t Speak for Us. | Khury Petersen-Smith, Basav Sen, and Lindsay Koshgarian
Our kids aren’t trans. But we’re horrified that politicians are attempting to ban reputable health care for kids in the name of “parents’ rights.”
Elon Musk’s Purge of Federal Workers Is an Attack on Freedom | Emese Ilyés
Public service isn’t about bureaucracy — it’s about maintaining trust and connection. No wonder billionaires want to destroy it.
