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Ann Widger, Director, AFSCME Retirees
Letter to Retired Federal Employees

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I have been working to protect Social Security for almost 30 years and I’ve never seen so many attacks against the Social Security system and the people who depend on it. 

 

They’re hoping you’ll stay quiet while they trample over many seniors' only source of income after retirement. Do you still trust them to protect the benefits you earned? Tell us where you stand.

Just look at what they’ve done to Social Security — and it’s only June.

  • Project 2025 architect Russell Vought — who admitted he wants to slash Social Security — is now running the federal budget. 

  • DOGE, under Elon Musk, demanded access to private Social Security data — and forced the acting Commissioner to resign when she said no. 

  • The SSA announced office cuts that guarantee longer wait times, delayed benefits, and total chaos for retirees and disabled workers. 

  • Musk went on national TV, called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme”, and declared it “the big one to eliminate.” Social Security is YOUR money and you are entitled to it. 

  • When a federal judge blocked DOGE from accessing your personal data, Commissioner Leland Dudek threw a tantrum and threatened to shut the whole program down. 

  • Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick publicly mocked seniors, saying his 94-year-old mother-in-law wouldn’t miss a Social Security check — and that only “fraudsters” complain. 

  • Reports surfaced that wait times for benefits are projected to skyrocket — from 236 days to 412. Deaths while waiting for disability could more than double, reaching 67,000 people a year. 

  • DOGE falsely declared living Americans dead or undocumented, cutting off their benefits without warning and putting their ability to pay their rent and buy groceries at risk. 

  • The Senate confirmed Frank Bisignano, a billionaire known for gutting jobs and services, to run the SSA. 

  • The White House announced plans to defund the Social Security Advisory Board — eliminating oversight just as the attacks ramp up. 

  • And that new commissioner? Bisignano admitted he had to Google the job. He didn’t even know what the SSA did — and now he controls benefits for 70 million Americans. 

  • And just last week, the Supreme Court ruled to give DOGE access to your personal Social Security information, even though many DOGE staffers are not properly training on accessing personal data and are not qualified to have access to such sensitive information. 

 

This isn’t politics. It’s sabotage. 

What This Means for You:

Reports indicate a surge in early retirement claims, as individuals fear benefit reductions or disruptions to what is their main source of income. 

Social Security recipients have started noticing changes. Longer drives to reach the nearest office. Longer wait times on the phone. No response. One AFSCME Retiree — Louisa Pedraza — was told she would hear back soon about her Social Security. She heard nothing. 

The attacks not only strained the SSA's resources but the misinformation and lies spread by Elon Musk and his minions have also eroded trust in the system — paving the way for even more cuts. 

 

They said they wouldn’t touch Social Security. Instead, they infiltrated it, accessed private information, fired the staff, closed the offices, spread lies about fraud and threatened to shut the entire program down.

Did they think you wouldn’t notice? Do you trust them with your Social Security? Tell us what you think here.

 

In Solidarity, 

 

Ann Widger 

 

P.S. Social Security is more than just a program; it's a promise made to every American. It’s food on the table and a roof over the heads of millions of Americans. Let's ensure that promise is kept and that we’re not cheated out of everything we’ve worked for. 




 

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