The senator wrote on social media on Sunday that tens of thousands of people could die if the Social Security Administration staffing is cut in half.

Summary

Senator Bernie Sanders warns that Elon Musk’s plan to cut Social Security Administration staff by up to 50% could cause 37,000 additional deaths yearly among disability benefit applicants and extend average wait times to 412 days.

While the SSA clarified they’re targeting a reduction from 57,000 to 50,000 employees (not 50%, or 300,000), Republican leaders like Mike Johnson and Rick Scott have discussed “reforming” entitlement programs for long-term solvency.

This contrasts with Trump’s assurance that “Social Security won’t be touched.” Democrats argue staffing cuts effectively reduce benefits by limiting access and delaying payments for vulnerable Americans.

    • Banana@sh.itjust.works
      24·
      8 hours ago

      You truly believe that they’re actually doing what they say they’re doing even though they’ve lied through their teeth at every fucking step?

      They’ve literally been counting on people being this goddamn gullible. My god.

      They ARE the fraud.

    • hotspur@lemmy.ml
      31·
      9 hours ago

      That’s not how they’re doing it. They’re just slashing anything they don’t understand, entire departments. There are many interdependent systems and each uncalibrated attack brings them closer to failure/disruption.

      There is no careful analysis about “people not doing their jobs” going on here.

      • SinningStromgald@lemmy.world
        20·
        9 hours ago

        Very much this. DOGE and Musk have taken zero time to try and understand what any of these programs they are cutting do or how they operate. They are under the impression that much of the important work can “be simply automated” via LLM’s or some nonsense.

        They truly are the chainsaw, not the scalpel.

    • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
      14·
      9 hours ago

      Totally they meant to fire those nuclear specialists and people working on flu vaccine that they immediately had to re-hire in desparation.

    • kinsnik@lemmy.world
      5·
      7 hours ago

      they are not cutting any fraud. the US already has an independent, non-partisan accountability office that actually investigates spending, instead of cutting random items based on the name without any analysis or understanding like musk is doing. and the executive power (including any stupidly named agency within in) has no power to change the budget set by congress. it is literally unconstitutional.