Former US President Joe Biden broke his silence on Tuesday with his first major speech since leaving the White House in January. Biden voiced his strong support for the Social Security Administration, which the Trump administration had subjected to staff cuts and office closures.
Calling the Social Security as “more than a government programme”, Biden said that the Trump administration has done too much damage and destruction to the department. He added that the new government has “taken a hatchet” to the agency.
Biden was addressing the disability advocates in Chicago. This was his big return to the political scene as President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, continues to make huge cuts to federal jobs.
Biden said that he knew how much Social Security matters to the lives of people and that it’s a “sacred promise” that they had made as a nation.
Musk-led DOGE team has been working inside the agency since February, where the leadership has promised to cut at least 7,000 jobs and close some offices. This has raised concerns about longer lines, longer wait times, and possible delays in receiving benefits, a Reuters report said.
The Social Security Administration, as per Reuters, gives out $1.4 trillion in benefits every year to 73 million older and disabled Americans. During his election campaign, Trump had promised that he would not cut Social Security benefits, reported Reuters.
In March, a federal judge had said that the Social Security Administration probably broke privacy laws by allowing Musk’s team to access the personal data of millions of Americans without limits. The judge ordered a temporary stop to sharing more records. The case is still going on.
Prior to Biden’s big speech, Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, told the media that Trump is fully committed to protecting Social Security benefits for seniors and American citizens who follow the law and pay taxes. Leavitt added that Trump will always stand by this program.
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