Senate Democrats hold a press briefing to urge a no vote for Frank Bisignano, President Trump's nominee to be Social Security Administrator.
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00:00Thank you all for being here. I am Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works.
00:05There has never been a more important time to come out and show our support and protection
00:11of Social Security. I've been working on Social Security for 50 years and I was mentored by
00:19three men who started working on Social Security in the 1930s. And I can tell you,
00:24it's gone through wars, pandemic. It has never seen a threat like Donald Trump, Elon Musk,
00:34and Frank Bisignano, the nominee to be commissioner. They are decimating Social Security.
00:41They've stolen our data. There has never been a more important time to speak up. Thankfully,
00:48we have real champions in the Senate and the House. And I'm happy to introduce the
00:56should be the chair of the Finance Committee. And we hope after 2026 will be the chair.
01:04Senator Wyden from Oregon, who's been a champion starting before he was even in the Senate as a
01:10member of the Great Panthers. So thank you for your service. We're interested to hear what you have to
01:16tell us. Thank you, Nancy. And what you should know is that political change doesn't necessarily
01:23start in a government building. It starts at the grassroots. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
01:29You're doing a great job. So we are mobilizing everywhere to stop the Trump administration
01:41from dismantling Social Security. And we are here to oppose Frank Bisignano from being the next Social
01:50Security Commissioner. He is the wrong man for Social Security because he is short changing,
01:57for example, the need for phone services at Social Security for the vulnerable. He is wrong to be catering
02:06to doge as they sneak and stealth around, trying to scoop up our precious data. And we believe he is
02:17wrong because his statement and actions are a prelude to privatizing Social Security. And we all are here to
02:27say no, no, no, no privatizing Social Security. He's also wrong because he's making it clear that he will
02:39stall on making sure that senior rights are a top priority. And he ducked all those questions at the
02:47hearing. The fact is, we want Donald Trump to step up and take on the doge group and make sure
02:57that he stops the cutbacks, the cutbacks, the field offices, the closures and stop the reductions in phone
03:06service. We want Donald Trump to stand with working families and seniors and stop the attack on Social
03:15Security once and for all.
03:17And make no mistake about it, these wonderful folks who are working at the grassroots to mobilize working
03:29families and seniors against Bisignano and against Donald Trump, we are going to stay at it day in and day
03:38out until Social Security is finally safe and is no longer on the chopping block in America. God bless.
03:54And I have the privilege now of introducing another champion, this in the House of Representatives,
04:00who again, I hope after 2026 will be chair of the Social Security Subcommittee of the Ways and Means
04:06Committee. He has been a leader in not just protecting Social Security, but pushing to expand it. And he's
04:14also been a leader in protecting Social Security against the threat that Donald Trump, Elon Musk and
04:21Frank Bisignano pose. So it is my pleasure to introduce Representative John Larson of the great state of
04:28Connecticut.
04:32Well, thank you, Nancy. How about Ron Wyden? What a great job, huh? Are you fired up and ready to go?
04:40All right. Can you imagine this? An administration not understanding that there are over 70 million
04:50Americans who rely on Social Security for more than 40 percent of them. It's the only benefit that they have.
05:04For five million of our fellow Americans, five million, they get below poverty level checks
05:15from the wealthiest nation in the world and the most incredible insurance program in our history.
05:25It's time this ends. We not only have to stop Social Security being cut, we have to expand it for the
05:35first time in more than 50 years. The last time Social Security's COLA was affected in an effective manner was 1971.
05:50Richard Nixon was President of the United States. We're far beyond that. Thank God that the senators here,
05:58and I just saw Chris Van Hollen come in, are standing and fighting every single day
06:04to make sure that this doesn't happen and drive the message home to the American people. Just how
06:14important this is to every single family in the United States of America. It's an honor to be here this
06:24afternoon and stand with Nancy Altman and Social Security Works and the job that they have been doing
06:30for decades to make sure that the greatest insurance program in the history of the country
06:45remains strong and vibrant and helping out the very people that Franklin Delano Roosevelt intended it to.
06:55Thank you and God bless.
07:00Well, as I said, as concerned as I am by Donald Trump and Elon Musk and Frank Vizzignano,
07:12I'm heartened by the champions we have standing to protect our social security, our earned social security.
07:20We have another champion I'm about to introduce who was instrumental in setting up understanding
07:27the danger and setting up a war room, which is just what we need. We all need to be fighting for
07:34social security. It's my great pleasure to introduce Senator Elizabeth Warren, the great state of
07:40Massachusetts. Thank you. Thank you. I'm Elizabeth Warren and I'm here to fight for social security.
07:50We're here today because Donald Trump and his unelected billionaire co-president, Elon Musk,
07:58are trying to take a chainsaw to social security. And what does that mean? It means that two people
08:04who don't have the slightest clue what it means to live on social security are the ones who are trying
08:12to cut it so that they can produce more tax breaks for a handful of billionaires. Yeah. Well, I've got a
08:21message for Donald Trump, for Elon Musk and for Frank Vizzignano, who is the guy who's going to carry out
08:30their plans. And that message is get your hands off our social security.
08:38Social security is not charity. It is something people pay into all of their lives. Social security
08:46is something that Americans have earned. And when it comes time to collect, they are getting their own
08:54money. It is more than a retirement program. It is also an insurance program. If you're 30 years old
09:04and you have an accident and become disabled, social security has your back. If something happens to you
09:12and you have a child, social security is there for your child. Donald Trump and Elon Musk want to rip all of
09:22that away. For nearly a century, social security has been there for tens of millions of Americans. But Trump
09:32and Musk are threatening to tear all of that down. They are firing staff, they are plotting to close
09:39offices, and they are making it harder to get the help that people need over the phone. So what does that
09:46mean for grandma when she needs help and has an issue with her regular social security check? The answer
09:54for Musk and Trump is too bad. Or maybe she's missing a check altogether. Well, that's just another one of
10:01Doge's mistakes. And as the billionaires will tell you, people can just wait until next month or the next
10:08month or the next month, and it probably will get straightened out. No wonder a couple of billionaires
10:16have no idea what it is like for the people who actually count on those social security checks every
10:24month. Now, tomorrow we're going to vote on Trump's pick to head up social security. And let's just be
10:32blunt. This is someone who will rubber stamp everything that Elon Musk and Donald Trump want to do to
10:40undercut social security, slashing benefits and services and threatening people's access to the
10:49very money that they spent their entire work lives earning. Well, I know how I will be voting. I will be
10:57voting in favor of every American who counts on social security. I am a hard no on Frank. No way. I am
11:10not in favor of handing over the keys to our social security administration to a man who says that he
11:19will do whatever Donald Trump wants, whatever Elon Musk wants, no matter how much it's there
11:27just to help the billionaires and to take away from those who have paid into the social security system
11:34for years. And I am not alone in this. Senate Democrats are fighting back. We are fighting
11:42for every senior. We are fighting for every parent of a kid with disability who's supported by social
11:51security. We are fighting for every person who is paying into the program and wants to count on that
11:58program to be there for them when they need it. This tonight is all about everyone getting into the
12:08fight and saying to Donald Trump and Elon Musk loud and clear. Get your hands off our social security
12:21in the fight between billionaires and American families. I know which side I'm on. I know which side
12:30Democrats are on and I know which side everybody here tonight is on and that is we stand with people
12:38and not with the billionaires. That's why we're here. Thank you all.
12:49So the vote is tomorrow. Anyone who supports social security must vote no. Frank Bisignano
12:57is a private citizen, has been all over social security. He's part of Doge. Thankfully, we have
13:04a leader in the Senate who is a true champion of all of our earned benefits. It is my great pleasure
13:13to introduce Leader Schumer. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. It's great to see my colleagues here,
13:22Senator Wyden, Senator Van Hollen. We just heard from Senator Warren and, of course, Martin O'Malley,
13:27our most recent Senate-confirmed commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
13:33And let me talk about that for a minute. I knew Frank Bisignano when he was in New York.
13:39He was known then, as he should be known now, as Mr. Slash and Burn. When a company wanted to just
13:46fire people mercilessly, they wanted to squeeze to death anything that went on there, they hired
13:53Bisignano. He was Mr. Slash and Burn. So can you imagine putting this man, who has no experience with
14:01Social Security, but who has experience in cutting the daylights of any organization that he becomes
14:08part of, being the commissioner? Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame. And the bottom line is,
14:18the bottom line is here, that Bisignano would be like putting, you know, a fox in the henhouse.
14:24You know, the Republicans have found many ways. They know how popular Social Security is. And so,
14:33they don't say they're going to kill it. They want to strangle it. That's what they want to do.
14:38It's death by another means. And they want to strangle it by closing offices, by cutting employees,
14:45by making sure the phone lines don't get answered. They're making sure the emails are shut off,
14:50and worst of all, by putting a guy like Bisignano in charge. It is just a disgrace. And we are going
14:57to do everything. This is, Social Security, until recently, was sort of the, it was the crowning
15:03achievement of government. Across the board, Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives,
15:08the bottom line is, that everyone loved Social Security. It was one of the hallmarks of one of the
15:14greatest things that government can ever do. And the fact that they're trying to attack it. You know,
15:19George Bush tried in 2005, and Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, and I, and a group of others fought back,
15:25and we won. We're going to fight back this time, and we are going to win. Social Security is sacred.
15:33How about Elon Musk, Mr. Doge, saying that it's a Ponzi scheme? Tell that to the person who needs that
15:41$1,100 check each month to pay for their food or their, or their prescription drugs that might save
15:47their lives. And how about Howard Lutnik? Howard Lutnik says, well, my, my daughter, my mother-in-law
15:55wouldn't miss a check. Well, I went to a big Social Security rally. I said, how many of you have
16:00billionaire son-in-laws who would make sure you're okay if you didn't miss a check? These billionaires
16:07are in their own bubble. They don't give a, they don't give a hoot or something else. They don't
16:15give a hoot about people who, who, who struggle, people who need Social Security to, to just live.
16:25All they care about is cutting taxes for themselves and their billionaire buddies. There's nothing more
16:32disgraceful than cutting Social Security to give taxes to the billionaire buddies. So we're going to
16:37fight it in every way that we can, and we are going to win. So thank you for being here. Thank you,
16:43AFT and Social Security Works for putting this together.
16:51And we have another champion, another leader in the Senate who is fighting as hard as he can
17:08to protect Social Security. He is, I am thrilled that he is my Senator. In fact, we met about Social
17:16Security before he was elected when he was running. That's how concerned and, and determined he is
17:23to not just protect Social Security, but to expand it. And it is my great pleasure to introduce Senator
17:33Ben Holland from the great state of America.
17:41Thank you, Nancy. And thank all of you for being here. You know, we've gathered in Baltimore,
17:49in front of the Social Security Administration. We've gathered on the Senate floor. We've gathered in
17:56communities all over the country. And now we're gathered here today to say, keep your hands off of
18:03our Social Security. And that does mean, and if you want to do that, you have to vote a big no on Frank
18:13Bisignano. So what we've witnessed, of course, is the most corrupt bargain in American history, right?
18:22Elon Musk contributed $260 million to help elect Donald Trump. And Donald Trump turned around and
18:31gave Elon Musk the keys to the federal government. This had nothing to do with government efficiency.
18:40This had to do with cutting services that are important to every American in order to rig the
18:47government for people like Elon Musk and the billionaires. And in addition to that, they do
18:53say that they want to use the savings. They want to use the savings from closing Social Security offices.
19:00They want to use the savings from reducing services to Social Security. They want to use that to finance
19:07tax cuts for billionaires. Are we going to let them do that? Hell no. I want to thank Ron Wyden,
19:14who's doing a great job on the Finance Committee, to Nancy Altman of Social Security Works,
19:19and all of you who are part of this gathering. And to Martin O'Malley, my friend who was the most recent
19:26head of Social Security, commissioner, and who always makes clear that Social Security has never
19:34missed a check. The earned benefits that people have worked their lives for, they deliver.
19:40So when people like Howard Lutnick say, eh, you know what? My mother, as others said, wouldn't miss this.
19:50And only the people who are committing fraud would miss this. This guy obviously hasn't talked to
19:58people throughout the country. Because everybody recognizes that that Social Security payment, for some,
20:04it's the difference between being in poverty and not. And for others, it's a substantial part of what it
20:10takes to carry on a decent standard of living. So what we see in Frank Bizzonato is somebody who is a
20:20Doge crony, right? Because this is somebody who essentially said he's one of those Doge groupies. He likes
20:30what Elon Musk is doing. In fact, he was very instrumental in making sure that Michael Russo,
20:38who was like the Doge hitman at Social Security, got that portfolio. And as we speak, as you know,
20:46while they've been trying to also access very sensitive, important personal confidential information
20:53for Doge. And the courts have said, no, you can't get access to it. But I think it was just last
20:59Friday. They appealed it to the court, the higher court. So what we're facing right now is an effort to
21:09raid important information that belongs to the American people as individuals for Doge. And what
21:18we're witnessing is their effort to shut down these offices, get rid of people, turn off the phones.
21:24I want to end with this. Because of the voices of so many Americans, they've had to back off
21:30some of those measures. But we need to say loud and clear that we will not rest until we make sure
21:37that Social Security is not only safe, but as John Larson said, we need to strengthen Social
21:42Security. Thank all of you for being here as part of that effort.
21:53And make no mistake that Frank Bisignano is a private citizen, but he has been all over the
22:00Social Security Administration since January 20th. He is behind all of this. If people think things are
22:08going to get better with him, they will get worse. And we've really got the the senators that have
22:14spoken to you in particular, Senator Wyden, who was able to call out the lies he was telling the Senate
22:24Finance Committee that should have stopped the nomination. But thank you, Senator Wyden for
22:30for for calling out and and reminding all of us who this person is and what this administration represents.
22:40Now, another champion we have also along with Senator Van Hollen is was my governor
22:49and was the most recent commissioner and don't believe the lies. The Republicans will say,
22:54oh, yeah, I know their long wait times, their backlogs. But that's been through through forever.
23:00Don't blame that on us. No. Commissioner O'Malley brought those way down. And it was the this
23:09administration that has literally hollowed out the agency, lost virtually a thousand years of expertise
23:18in forcing people out the door that is causing huge backlogs, wait times and inability,
23:24essentially cutting our benefits. So it's my great pleasure to introduce former Commissioner O'Malley.
23:38I want to thank all of the senators who have been stepping up to defend social security. That's what
23:45this is about. There is no act of compassion and caring for one another. More powerful, more
23:54far reaching, more efficient, and more dependable than social security. And we say hands off social security.
24:06So I want to thank Senator Van Hollen, Leader Schumer, John Larson. And I especially want to thank
24:13Chairman Wyden for calling this like it is. What's happened here in the and I was a commissioner who
24:20enjoyed bipartisan support. I was a commissioner who had the honor to to lead this agency when House
24:28Republicans had already reduced them to a 50-year low in staffing while baby boomers like me increased
24:34their their customer base to an all-time high. And I was hopeful, I was hopeful that maybe, just maybe,
24:43we might have a nominee who would build upon that success, but no. Instead, what we've seen is a slash
24:51and burn, a at the exiting, driving out 7,000 and soon 10,000 employees, workers, the people that provide
25:02customer service at social security. What we've seen Elon Musk and Donald Trump do is with their eyes,
25:10you know, social security is the only agency that runs a surplus. In fact, that surplus reserve is about
25:172.6 trillion dollars. They have their eyes on that, but they know Congress would never allow them
25:25to take that money without a fight unless they turned enough of the public against social security.
25:32So how do they do that? By wrecking its reputation with big lies. Big lies like illegal immigrants get
25:39benefits. They don't. They're prohibited. Big lies like there's a zombie apocalypse. There's no zombie
25:45apocalypse. Dead people do not get social security benefits. Big lies like it's a Ponzi scheme.
25:52Poppycock. It's not a Ponzi scheme. Bitcoin might be, but not social security. Social security's never
25:59missed a payment in 90 years. And social security is the most efficient insurance program in the entire
26:11world. Social security's overhead has now been driven down to less than one percent. If you compare that
26:17to Allstate, Allstate's 19 percent. Liberty Mutual is 23 percent. So give us a break. We have to put the
26:24brakes on Elon Musk and Donald Trump trying to wreck its reputation and wreck its customer service,
26:30so then they can rob it. Too many Americans depend on it. They've earned it. And one of them that's going
26:36to speak to you right now is here up front, and that is...
26:40Let me interrupt because Senator Wyden graciously said he will answer questions.
26:46Awesome. Senator Wyden is going to come up and answer any questions from the press. Senator Wyden,
26:52come on down, and then we're going to hear from Pam Parker. I promise you.
26:55And in the language of the Senate, momentarily, I will be glad to yield to the gentle lady.
27:02Sure. I just want to do a little FYI. The big vote and the reason why we're here tonight looks like
27:10it's going to be at 2.15 tomorrow. And we're going to be going through the issues that we're talking about,
27:17and unfortunately, this is a nominee who did not tell the truth to the Senate Finance Committee.
27:23And in particular, the majority has responded by saying that our whistleblower, because we had a
27:30very credible whistleblower, could have told the country and the committee what was really going on.
27:37And they said the only reason they'd listen to the commissioner would be to tell the nominee
27:42what's going on. That flunks whistleblowing 101. So what we're going to be doing is making sure that
27:51tomorrow we get the highest possible vote that we can for making sure seniors get a fair shake
27:58at Social Security, the kind of shake that Martin gave him when he had the job. As of now,
28:05this is a guy who not only won't give him a fair shake, but won't tell the truth to the country
28:11and the Congress. So tomorrow, 2.15, watch what the Senate does, because this is a vote that counts
28:18for this person and everybody here today, because what we're talking about is the most important
28:25program in America. It's there for seniors. It's there for working families. We're going to stay at it
28:32to make sure that it always stays there. Count on it. Thank you.
28:41A vote for Bisignano is a vote against our Social Security benefits. It is so important.
28:50So now I get the pleasure to introduce Pam Parker, who was an electrician. She's a Social Security
29:02beneficiary and a member of the Maryland Alliance for Retired Americans. She represents millions across
29:11this country. So let's give her a good hand. I'm excited to hear what you have to say.
29:15Thank you. Thank you. I hope you guys can hear me. My name is Pam Parker. I'm a member of the
29:25Alliance for Retired Americans. I'm 63 years old and I live in Bethesda, Maryland, but I grew up
29:32born and raised in Washington, DC. For many years, I worked as an electrician helping to wire the Holocaust
29:38Museum, the Pentagon, a lot of big federal buildings because I filled two quotas. I'll let you
29:45figure out what two they are. I then began working as a researcher after my health slowed down.
29:52But in 2014, I could no longer work due to my kidneys failing. I'm grateful that several years ago,
30:00on Mother's Day, I received a kidney transplant that saved my life, but my health is still very fragile.
30:06I'm one of 73 million Americans who will rely on Social Security. For me, it's my only income.
30:15It's not a luxury. It's a necessity. And I know I speak for millions of others who are alarmed and
30:21deeply concerned about what Trump has allowed Elon Musk to do to Social Security. Musk and his handpicked
30:29team have demanded access to our both sensitive health and financial data. The Social Security
30:36Administration has my entire financial and medical history. I never worried about that. I trusted the
30:43career of public servants to keep my information safe until now. The administration has forced out
30:50thousands of experienced public servants. They are consolidating and closing field offices,
30:56making it harder and harder to get someone on the phone to help with your benefits. And they have
31:01spread lies about Social Security to undermine the American people's confidence in the system.
31:10Let me be clear, this isn't about efficiency. This isn't about preventing fraud. This is about making
31:16it harder for seniors and people with disabilities to access the benefits they've earned. These moves are
31:23forcing Americans to endure longer wait times, travel greater distances, and navigate unnecessary obstacles
31:33just to receive their benefits. And they are scaring seniors who are frightened that their benefits
31:39may not be paid or that their personal financial and health data will fall into the wrong hands.
31:46This is nothing less than a calculated cruel plan to weaken Social Security.
31:51Trump repeatedly promised not to touch Social Security. Yet here we are. Tomorrow the Senate will take a
31:58critical vote. Will they vote to confirm a commissioner who calls himself a doge guy? Or will they say no
32:06and tell the president to nominate someone who will protect our field offices, safeguard our data,
32:14and put the needs of American people first? Social Security is our money.
32:19Yeah. It's our money. Our money. Earned through a lifetime of work.
32:27We deserve a commissioner who understands that. Older Americans are watching what these
32:33senators do. We're counting on you. Thank you. Thank you Pam so much for those remarks and to recognize that when
32:46we talk about 73 million people who are beneficiaries or 160 million contributors that you can get lost in
32:55the numbers. But every one of those numbers is a person like Pam who's earned those benefits and we are all
33:02fighting to protect not just our earned benefits but the earned benefits of our children and grandchildren.
33:09So next let me introduce another beneficiary, Chuck Donaldson, an AFSCME retiree. So thank you
33:18for your service and we're excited to hear your comments.
33:29Okay. I want to thank everyone for allowing me to speak here today. I've heard a lot of good things.
33:36I have some of the similar things to say but I've been retired from the city of Philadelphia for
33:4317 years. I've been getting social security for 14 years. Me and my wife depended on social security.
33:53However that program is kind of under attack so I'm here today to share some of my things. For almost
33:59decades I served Philadelphia families as a recreation leader. My work shaped the lives of many of
34:05Americans. You're going to fill up your kids off in underserved neighborhoods. With the changes, Elon Musk
34:12and his lackeys are trying to force through for the first time since his creation, Americans social security
34:18benefits are in serious danger and for no good reason. Donald Trump and Elon Musk are using Frank Bignano
34:28using plausible deniability for Frank Bignano. He is doing their dirty work because he's a millionaire like he is.
34:40So seniors are afraid and insecure about social security being cut while billionaires are making
34:47more money. Anti-work politicians want us to pay for their tax breaks with what little money we have.
34:54Congress needs to do their job. I'm from Philadelphia where the founders created a system of checks
35:00and balances. Right now Congress doesn't care that Elon and this administration while they try to hollow
35:07out the social security administration and their nominees to be social security commissioner is
35:15is Frank Bignano. And I'm not speaking about the politicians that spoke here today. Of course not.
35:26Most retirees are living on a couple hundred dollars a month. For some politicians that's just money to spend
35:32on a nice lunch. What we're asking for is extravagant is basic morality. I'd like politicians who want to cut
35:42social security think about what they're doing. Not just the bottom line. Have some compassion for seniors.
35:49A country is judged by how it treats its young and its old. The cuts to social security affect everyone.
35:57We all need to be in this fight to defend it. This is not a thing about entitlements,
36:02policy schemes, or any of that. It's just plain sense to have a program that is successful
36:08and needed all over this country for hard-working Americans to use. And let me say one more thing.
36:19I've worked with my union for years and years and the retirees work very hard. They work very hard
36:28for social security and other benefits. And they're out in the front every day. I know it. I'm with them
36:36every day. So please, please, in this vote tomorrow, make sure you do the right thing. Do not make a
36:43mistake. Do the right thing as everyone has said. Thank you.
36:54Chuck, thank you so much. He's really reminded us of something very important, many very important items.
37:01But Donald Trump and Elon Musk have already cut our social security because an essential benefit of
37:09social security is in its name, a sense of security, peace of mind. And they are robbing that by robbing
37:16our data and doing everything in the dark so we don't know that our benefits are safe. That is outrageous,
37:25and we must stop it. And we've got to stop this nomination. So let me add another social security
37:33beneficiary, call up Brenda Marks, who's a member of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, AFT. So thank
37:40you for your dedication as a teacher, and thank you for speaking here today.
37:56Hi, my name is Brenda Marks, and I am a registered behavior technician from the city of Pittsburgh,
38:05and I don't want to perpetrate. I have not retired yet. I am 69 years old. And I've been putting off
38:14retirement for several years, mostly because I love what I do. But I'm here today for all of the
38:24many, many people I've worked with who have retired. The custodians in my school who've gone well beyond
38:33what was required for them to do at work, for the social workers who worked tirelessly to keep our
38:42kids safe, to the music teacher who gave kids a reason to come to school. All of those people deserve
38:51to have a decent life after work. You know, I haven't retired. I have delayed retirement because I,
39:00I, growing up, I wanted to be a revolutionary. And then I discovered helping kids
39:09was and having a positive effect on children was the most revolutionary thing I could do to teach them
39:16to feel good about themselves, to teach them to think for themselves, to have a positive attitude
39:22about themselves and their community. And yes, that they can be a positive force within this world.
39:36But now I'm almost at the end of my tenure. I'm almost 70 years old. And it's, it's about time. But now,
39:49now at this time, after working, since I was 18, to pay into some kind of job that paid into Social
39:58Security, we have this. The Department of Government by Elon wants to blow up a system that millions of
40:10workers Americans have relied on workers Americans have relied on for decades. The Social Security Act
40:18was signed into law in 1935. For nearly 90 years, this country made a promise to workers, working
40:28people, that if they worked hard on their lives and paid into Social Security at the end of their working
40:35life, they would be paid back. Not given a handout, but paid back. Now we are standing near the steps of the
40:48Capitol, asking for the senators to keep that promise. We are asking the senators to vote against Frank
40:58Vizionano to serve as Social Security Administration commissioner. I find it hard to believe that the
41:07Trump administration even knows what efficiency is. You know, simply put, efficiency is competence in
41:19performance. The funding of government agencies isn't competent, nor is it efficient. So I'm asking the senators
41:31for the over 70 million workers relying on Social Security. Keep that promise. For those like myself,
41:42who are about to retire and feeling nervous about what the future might hold. Keep that promise. Thank you.
42:01Teachers definitely teach. So thank you for that. And we have another teacher, Marietta English,
42:08is also a Social Security beneficiary and a member of the Baltimore Teachers Union of AFT. So let me call Marietta.
42:24Good evening. And thank you all for being here. I'd like to thank the senators who were here.
42:32And I would like to thank Martin O'Malley, who was my governor at one time. So I thank him for being here and
42:39being in support of Social Security. I am 78 years old. I've been retired since 2019. And I have paid into Social
42:51Security since I was 14. So do the math.
42:55No. And it's important to be here. I'm not going to be here for the last year. But we are going to be
42:59a lot of younger people to do. We are in the Difference. I have to fight the job of killing
43:01Americans. I'm not an entitlement to me. This is money that I earned and put away that I expected to
43:05receive someday when I retire. Elon Musk and Donald Trump are going all in to eliminate Social
43:13Security, but we must fight back. Social Security is critical for seniors, for several reasons.
43:22It provides a reliable source of income, which is important for those who may no longer have a steady paycheck from employment.
43:33It helps prevent poverty among older adults.
43:37Many seniors rely heavily on Social Security for basic income and needs such as housing, food, and health care.
43:45And I know several people.
43:47This is the only income that they have.
43:50So if it is eliminated, they won't have any means by which to support themselves for food, housing, or health care.
44:00For many seniors, Social Security is a safety net, making sure that they have an income.
44:08It plays a vital role in ensuring financial stability and a good quality of life for seniors, helping not navigate the challenges of retirement.
44:18We must fight back right now, because if we don't, millions of hardworking people could lose on all of their benefits.
44:32We cannot let these billionaires take our money.
44:37We cannot let them do this.
44:46This is the hands off our money.
44:49Hands off.
44:49Hi there, my friends.
44:51Yes.
44:51And so I have said how important Social Security is to seniors.
44:58We must fight back, because it is, we have the power.
45:03We must fight back.
45:05Because when we fight, what do we do?
45:07We win!
45:10We have a woman who just flew into Chicago, boy with her arms tired.
45:23She is a great national leader of the labor movement.
45:27People who work hard all their lives, earn their Social Security benefits.
45:31Please welcome Randy White-Narton from AFT.
45:38And can we say thank you again, I'm sure it's been said, to Martin O'Malley, Governor O'Malley,
45:46who did everything he could to make sure that Social Security was timely, was out there,
45:54that people could get their questions answered.
45:58That is what the government should be doing.
46:01Thank you, Martin O'Malley.
46:04And the person who is being nominated to replace Governor O'Malley is the exact opposite.
46:15The exact opposite.
46:18What did you say?
46:20So, I'm glad I rushed here from Chicago, where I was at another event today,
46:33to basically be with all of you, particularly all of you, to say,
46:39we will never give in.
46:42Social Security is one of the most important, if not the most important,
46:53social covenant that this country has done with its people.
46:59It essentially says that after you work hard for your life,
47:06and remember, Social Security is an earned benefit.
47:11Each and every one of us, or most of us, actually have a tax,
47:19are taxed a certain percent, each and every paycheck,
47:27in order for us to get Social Security.
47:31Our employers are taxed in order for us to get Social Security.
47:36So, when I say it's an earned benefit, we all, the American people,
47:43pay for it, each and every paycheck.
47:46For our money.
47:47Yes.
47:48But it's more than our money.
47:51It is a way that we then say, and the government of the United States then says,
47:59that you're not going to be destitute in your retirement.
48:03You're not going to be destitute in your old age.
48:07You're not going to be destitute if you are disabled.
48:11And, in fact, the reason we were able to change WEP and GPO this December and January
48:18was for that same reason.
48:20So, why is it that this administration, who says that they believe in people and workers,
48:29have the audacity to say that they don't want to tax Social Security benefits,
48:34then do everything in their power by a million cuts to try to undermine this system
48:41and undermine retiree Social Security.
48:45And that is dead wrong.
48:46And that is who they are proposing to be commissioner.
48:57Somebody who will do that.
48:59Think about what they've done already.
49:00First, they said, we're getting rid of offices.
49:06Then they said, you have to come in instead of using a website.
49:11Then they changed their mind.
49:14Then they made the phone calls not work.
49:17Then they started moving people off, pretending that people were dead.
49:23People they didn't want to pay Social Security to.
49:26This is the acts of an authoritarian.
49:30This is not the acts of a government that has a social covenant with its people.
49:37So, that's why we're all here today and every day in front of offices, in front in town halls to basically say, look at these folks.
49:50These are the shoulders on which we succeed as Americans.
49:58We must make sure that social covenant that we have with them, which is Social Security and Medicare, that is sacrosanct.
50:08And we will fight each and every day, not only to.