Democrats visit Social Security offices in 'day of action'
NEW YORK (PIX11) -- During what is being called a national day of action to protect Social Security, Democrats are highlighting what they said are efforts by the Trump administration to take away retirement benefits.
In New York, Democratic Congressman Dan Goldman, who represents lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, rallied outside the East Village Social Security office with a public housing tenant.
Several told stories about how it's become harder to get someone on the phone or get appointments at the office.
When Goldman went inside to meet with Social Security staff, he was met by officers from Homeland Security-- who claimed they were there to protect him.
"I've been doing this job for 2.5 years, and I've never had a Department of Homeland Security come to a federal agency that I visited," Goldman said.
The officers did not prevent his visit.
Goldman and Democrats are making the case that President Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE initiative are crippling Social Security by closing offices and cutting personnel who help process payments.
"If you have to go into offices that no longer exist, with staff that cannot handle all of the requests, that is a backdoor way of cutting benefits because it will be impossible for them to provide all of the benefits," Goldman said.
In response to the nationwide day of action, White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt said President Trump will not cut Social Security.
"He will always protect that program," she said. "He campaigned on it. He protected it in his first term, and he's back again to continue protecting it."
President Trump also signed executive orders Tuesday designed to crack down on any instances of fraud within the Social Security Administration, particularly recently arrived migrants trying to get illegal benefits.
The White House did not offer evidence of newly arrived migrants committing Social Security fraud.