Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and all of her Democratic Finance Committee colleagues in a letter urging Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) to immediately hold a hearing to investigate reports that Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” has demanded full access to Americans’ most sensitive information and is planning massive layoffs and office closures at the Social Security Administration (SSA) that could disrupt service and benefits.
“At a time when the agency’s workforce is at a 50-year low, the potential loss of centuries’ worth of agency experience will risk worsening backlogs, longer wait times, and interruption of benefit payments,” wrote the Senators. “When combined with SSA providing inexperienced individuals unfettered access to the agency’s sensitive systems, there is a profound risk of causing irreparable harm to the agency’s systems and Americans’ financial security. Indeed, even the last two confirmed Commissioners – a Democrat and a Republican – both expressed concern about the agency’s recent actions.”
Despite cuts to agencies across the federal government – from workers at the Department of Agriculture working to develop a response to bird flu to employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration – Republican-led committees in the Senate have refused to hold hearings on the impacts of these cuts. The Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee must agree to investigate Musk’s proposed plans for the Social Security Administration.
“As one of the nation’s most popular and effective programs, Social Security provides a foundation of income on which workers can build for their retirement, as well as valuable insurance protection against unexpected hardship,” continued the Senators. “Failure to investigate these actions is an abdication of our oversight responsibility and a disservice to our constituents who sent us to Congress.”
Read the full letter here.
Senator Cortez Masto has pushed multiple Departments under the Trump Administration for detailed, public information regarding the impacts of President Trump’s federal funding freeze, hiring freeze, and terminations on Nevada – including to the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, and General Services Administration.
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