Target: Leland Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security Administration
Goal: Do not enact “clawback cruelty” or other detrimental changes that will make it harder for seniors to access social security benefits.
Social security recipients were supposed to enjoy a boost to their benefits and stronger protections against unfair practices when the Social Security Fairness Act, passed in 2024, finally went into effect. But now, thanks to new rules recently announced by the Trump administration – as well as expected scathing staffing cuts across the Social Security Administration – seniors may very well be facing an uncertain future regarding the funds many rely on for their continued livelihoods. For some seniors, the benefits may abruptly stop altogether.
First, the administration plans to reinstate a controversial policy that enabled the government to garnish the entirety of a recipient’s benefit checks. The reason these individuals are being punished: mistakes on the government’s part that may have led to overpayments. Through no fault of their own and because of errors they may not have even realized were occurring, seniors could see their benefits indefinitely suspended until the government-caused “overpayments” are fully compensated.
An additional hardship will also be placed on seniors to access the benefits they are rightfully owed. No longer will seniors be able to modify their payment information through the convenience of a phone. Instead, they will either need to complete a complicated process online or visit a local office: an office that may be a long distance away or booked for months with appointments. This change will especially impact seniors who may lack easy internet access or who have physical limitations that prevent them from traveling. And with the expected slashes to the Social Security Administration, seniors may altogether lose access to a local, properly staffed office.
Sign the petition below to demand this administration stop making life more difficult for its longest-serving citizens.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Commissioner Dudek,
The 100 percent clawback policy for social security payments was amended to 10 percent garnishments for a reason. Across the country, seniors were thrown into crisis after discovering they “owed” the government tens of thousands of dollars …through no fault of their own. These individuals spent decades in the workforce with a promise that their government would help them live stable and secure lives during their golden years. They should not be punished for the mistakes of their leadership. Many of these individuals rely solely on social security income for their survival, and you are endangering them with this heartless policy.
Not every senior has the benefit of convenient access to broadband or of plentiful travel options. Some seniors may not even be able to leave their bedrooms due to health limitations. Are you going to punish them in the name of “fraud prevention”? If they do make it to a local social security office, will they find even find one in operation, or will they instead discover an under-staffed, under-funded, and over-booked nightmare? Or worse, will they find an empty parking lot?
Please amend these detrimental changes that will only harm average, hard-working Americans. Honor the name and the mission of the Social Security Administration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Shvets Production
