{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mcbride-fights-back-against-trump-musk-assault-social-security", "Rep. McBride Fights Back Against Trump-Musk Assault on Social Security", "2025-04-15", "2025", "2025-04", "Democrat", "House", "DE", "Sarah McBride", "M001238", "mcbride.house.gov", "mcbride", "https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Wilmington, DE \u2014 In the face of growing threats to Social Security from the Trump Administration and Elon Musk\u2019s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Delaware\u2019s Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-DE) is taking decisive action to protect benefits for the 241,000 Delawareans who rely on the program each month.\n\nRep. McBride has signed onto multiple efforts in Congress, including a letter demanding that the Acting Social Security Commissioner halt plans to slash the Social Security workforce and shutter field offices, as well as a March letter to Speaker Mike Johnson calling on House Republicans to reject any attempts to cut or limit Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s be clear: gutting customer service at the Social Security Administration is a backdoor benefit cut,\u201d said Rep. McBride. \u201cWhen seniors can\u2019t reach a caseworker, when families lose access to their local field office, or when backlogs delay life-saving benefits\u2014that\u2019s not theoretical. That\u2019s real harm to real people. I won\u2019t stand by while this administration jeopardizes the dignity and economic stability of Delawareans who\u2019ve earned these benefits through a lifetime of work.\u201d\n\nTrump\u2019s handpicked Acting Commissioner of Social Security has already announced plans to reduce SSA staffing by nearly 7,000 positions, with more cuts expected. Reports show that over 40 field offices are facing the loss of more than a quarter of their staff, leading to longer lines, slower processing, and increased delays. A CBS News investigation recently revealed widespread website crashes and processing errors, leaving many unable to access benefits at all.\n\nIn Delaware, more than 241,000 residents rely on Social Security, receiving a total of $475 million in monthly benefits, including:\n\n190,772 retirees\n\n23,852 disabled workers\n\n11,317 widows and 4,218 spouses\n\n11,295 children\u200b\n\n\u201cSocial Security is a promise after a lifetime of hard work. And that promise is under threat,\u201d McBridecontinued. \u201cThe Trump-Musk plan to dismantle this program to pay for tax cuts for billionaires is not only cruel\u2014it\u2019s deeply out of step with the values of Delawareans.\u201d\n\nTrump and Musk have also launched a misinformation campaign aimed at discrediting Social Security. Musk has called the program \u201cthe biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,\u201d while Trump has falsely referred to its benefits database as \u201ca scam.\u201d Meanwhile, their DOGE appointees have been granted unprecedented access to sensitive beneficiary data, prompting privacy concerns and the resignation of senior SSA leadership.\n\nRep. McBride is supporting key House Democratic legislation, including the Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act (H.R. 1876), which would block the Trump Administration from closing any Social Security field or hearing offices, and the Protecting Americans\u2019 Social Security Data Act (H.R. 1877), which would prohibit political appointees like Musk\u2019s DOGE operatives from accessing sensitive beneficiary data and strengthen data privacy protections.\n\n\u201cHouse Democrats are united in this fight,\u201d said McBride. \u201cWe\u2019re not just going to protect Social Security\u2014we\u2019re going to strengthen it. That means expanding benefits, improving service, and making sure this program continues to work for the next generation.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T00:33:40Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mcbride.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mcbride-fights-back-against-trump-musk-assault-social-security"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0531749576330185, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}