Overview

• Joe Biden delivered his first major public speech since leaving office, accusing the Trump administration of undermining Social Security through workforce reductions and operational changes.
• The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has initiated a plan to cut 7,000 Social Security Administration (SSA) jobs and implement stricter identity-proofing measures.
• Biden described the reforms as a 'hatchet' to the SSA, citing longer beneficiary wait times, website outages, and erroneous notices as evidence of systemic strain.
• The White House insists that Social Security benefits will not be affected, framing the changes as efforts to reduce waste and fraud within the system.
• Trump and Musk have defended the reforms, with Musk labeling Social Security a 'Ponzi scheme,' while Biden's remarks have galvanized Democratic opposition ahead of the midterm elections.