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Protest against new policies imposed on Social Security Administration in Miami

Senior citizens and allies protest the Trump administration's Social Security policies during a May 1, 2025 rally in Miami.

(Photo by Jesus Olarte/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Senate Report Highlights 'Betrayal of American Seniors' by Trump

"The president has actively harmed the well-being of seniors and broken his promises... to stop inflation, not touch Social Security, and leave Medicaid alone."

US Sen. Kirsten Gillbrand on Wednesday unveiled a report detailing how President Donald Trump's attacks on Social Security, Medicaid, nutrition assistance, and other programs are harming the very senior citizens whose strong support was so instrumental in his reelection.

The report—which was authored by the minority staff of the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging at the direction of Gillibrand (D-NY), its ranking member—states that Trump "was tasked with leading a nation that is rapidly aging and facing critical decisions about the policies and resources needed to support a sizable demographic change."

"The United States must decide how to ensure the independence of its seniors, how to support caregivers, and how to assist entire aging communities," the publication continues. "After one year in office, President Trump has failed at his obligations to America’s seniors. In fact, the president has actively harmed the well-being of seniors and broken his promises to them—such as his promises to stop inflation, not touch Social Security, and leave Medicaid alone."

Trump has FAILED at his obligations to America’s #seniors. The president has actively broken his promises to stop inflation, not to touch #SocialSecurity, and to "leave #Medicaid alone." READ the minority report of the Senate Committee on Aging HERE::: www.gillibrand.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

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— NCPSSM (@ncpssm.bsky.social) March 26, 2026 at 9:56 AM

Gillibrand said in a statement introducing the report that it "shows that instead of fighting for seniors, the president has attacked the very programs that help them stay afloat."

Republicans' so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law last July, ushered in the biggest cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in US history.

Gillibrand's report "focuses on eight harms that represent the Trump administration’s failure to support seniors during his first year in office."

According to the publication, Trump:

  • Broke his promise to tame inflation and expressed disdain for concerns about the cost of living;
  • Used the so-called Department of Government Efficiency to attack the infrastructure supporting Social Security;
  • Decimated Medicaid so he could slash taxes for wealthy Americans;
  • Repealed key nursing home safety standards after being lobbied by wealthy nursing home executives;
  • Disrupted services authorized by the Older Americans Act, including nutrition programs like Meals on Wheels;
  • Created new red tape for seniors to access food assistance as another way to fund tax cuts for wealthy Americans;
  • Proposed steep cuts for nonprofits that protect people with disabilities and seniors; and
  • Attempted to dismantle the agency that guards Americans against financial crimes, including ones that target older adults.
"As a result, American seniors are sicker, poorer, and more vulnerable today than they were just a year ago," Gillbrand said. "This is devastating. I’ll keep fighting for legislation that counteracts the president’s efforts to undermine these programs so that our seniors can age with dignity and respect.”

Other Democratic members of Congress including Sens. Patty Murray (Wash.) and Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) and Reps. Melanie Stansbury (NM) and John Larson (NJ) pointed out how Trump administration policies—including those mentioned in this piece and others like the billion-dollar-per-day war on Iran—are harming seniors by spending money that could have been allocated for their benefit or, in the case of Stansbury, by noting GOP attacks on mail-in voting, upon which many seniors rely.

"Seniors today are having a very hard time getting their benefits.Why?Social Security has pushed out 7,700 workers since Trump took office."

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Social Security Works (@socialsecurityworks.org) March 26, 2026 at 9:03 AM

"'America first' was bullshit," Duckworth said on Bluesky. "With the $200 billion Trump wants for Iran, we could fund a decade of free, universal preschool; provide seniors with Medicare dental, vision, and hearing coverage for three years; build 2 million+ affordable homes. He promised to end wars."

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