Donald Trump spent his campaign promising to protect Social Security, then turned around and tried to dismantle it, despite it being one of the most popular government programs in American history. So far, Trump has installed incompetent leadership, cut critical services, created a “backdoor for privatizing Social Security” with his billionaire-first budget, and nominated economic officials who want to “sunset” Social Security. Trump wants to rip away Americans’ hard-earned benefits and leave millions of seniors stranded while lining the pockets of his billionaire donors and friends. 

On the 90th Anniversary of Social Security, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:

“When President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law 90 years ago, he created a lifeline for the American people with a promise: work hard, and you can retire with dignity and peace of mind. Social Security has lifted more people out of poverty than any other program and has provided financial stability for millions of families. But instead of honoring his own promise to protect Social Security, Donald Trump and his administration of billionaires have done everything in their power to undermine the program. Trump and his billionaires may never have to rely on Social Security to get by — but millions of hard-working Americans do, and that’s why Democrats will always fight to protect it.” 

Social Security is one of the most popular and successful programs in America — it’s no surprise that a majority of Americans oppose Trump’s dangerous campaign to gut it. Instead of listening to the American people, Trump has taken a wrecking ball to Social Security by: 

• Creating a “backdoor for privatizing Social Security”; 
• Slashing staff by more than half during a 50-year staffing low; 
• Jeopardizing rural Americans’ access to their hard-earned benefits; 
• Cutting critical services and stranding seniors; 
• Installing Frank Bisigiano — an incompetent, ultra-wealthy, Wall Street lackey — as the Social Security Administrator to help him dismantle the program. 
• Nominating EJ Antoni as BLS Commissioner after he made it clear he wants to “sunset the program” and echoed Trump’s view that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme.”

Make no mistake: If Trump is allowed to finish his campaign to dismantle Social Security as we know it, tens of millions of seniors will lose their hard-earned benefits and countless Americans will be thrown into poverty. Social Security has helped people to retire with dignity for 90 years — Trump is hell-bent on destroying it.  

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