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Sanders Bill Would Fight Trump Effort to 'Dismantle Social Security'
"On the 90th anniversary of Social Security, our job must be to reverse these disastrous cuts, expand Social Security, and make it easier, not harder, for Americans to receive the benefits they have earned and deserve."
Aug 13, 2025
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday introduced the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act, legislation intended to thwart President Donald Trump's attacks on the agency that administers benefits for millions of seniors and other Americans.
In a statement introducing his bill, Sanders (I-Vt.) called out not only Trump but also Elon Musk, who is the richest person on Earth and led the president's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) until he left the administration in May.
"Since Trump has been in office, he has been working overtime with the wealthiest man in the world, Elon Musk, to dismantle Social Security and undermine the faith that the American people have in this vitally important program," Sanders said. "Thousands of Social Security staff have lost their jobs, seniors and people with disabilities are having a much harder time receiving the benefits they have earned, field offices have been shut down, and the 1-800 number is a mess."
"That is beyond unacceptable," the senator declared, just days before a key milestone for the law that led to the Social Security Administration (SSA). "On the 90th anniversary of Social Security, our job must be to reverse these disastrous cuts, expand Social Security, and make it easier, not harder, for Americans to receive the benefits they have earned and deserve. That's precisely what this legislation will do."
As Sanders' office summarized, the bill aims to defend Americans and their benefits by:
- Protecting and improving Americans' access to Social Security offices—prohibiting closures, relocations, and service reductions, reversing Trump's layoffs, and ensuring Americans can speak to real people to get their benefits;
- Increasing funding by $5 billion to improve customer service, modernize technology, and reduce backlogs;
- Restoring assistance for vulnerable and disabled people to access their benefits;
- Safeguarding Americans' data and stopping Trump's politicization of Social Security; and
- Removing DOGE's authority and calling for an independent investigation into DOGE's actions at SSA.
The bill is backed by 20 other members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and several organizations, including Social Security Works, Alliance for Retired Americans, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.
Sanders introduced the bill on the same day that he joined former Social Security Commissioner Martin O'Malley, U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and John Larson (D-Conn.), and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)—a co-sponsor of the new legislation—for a Protect Our Checks town hall, hosted by Unrig Our Economy, Social Security Works, and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
Late last month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent "openly bragged about plans to use a back door to privatize Social Security and hand the benefits of working families over to those folks on Wall Street," Wyden pointed out. "Trump's so-called promise to protect Social Security, in my view, is about as real as his promise to protect Medicaid—no substance, big consequences for American seniors and families walking on an economic tightrope."
The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Republicans passed and the president signed in July is expected to strip Medicaid and other key assistance, including food stamps, from millions of Americans in the next decade.
Wednesday's town hall also featured testimony from Social Security recipients, including Judith Brown, who explained that "at 37, I became disabled. It was devastating, because I was a young mother to two sons [that] are on the autism spectrum."
"When my sons needed additional medical support, I was able to get care for them because of their Social Security benefits. Without those benefits, we would have been homeless on the street," Brown continued. "Social Security has always been there for us over all these years. Right now, this administration is bent on stripping us of our benefits that we paid into during our working years... We cannot allow this to happen. Social Security must be protected and expanded. Our entire existence is on the line, and we must fight to protect Social Security."
Unrig Our Economy spokesperson Saryn Francis said that "Republican tariffs are driving up prices at the grocery store, their bills are raising the cost of healthcare and electricity, and they've even found time to hand out more tax breaks to billionaires, and now they want to mess with Social Security, and we are not going to let them take that away from us."
Francis noted that "this weekend, with over 50 events across the country, Americans are rallying in a massive effort to support Social Security and calling on congressional Republicans to stop threatening what hardworking people have earned and need to survive."
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'The Clown Show Continues': Billy Long Out at IRS, But Probe to Persist
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden said that "my investigators have obtained alarming information pertaining to Long's conduct at the IRS that we have begun to investigate."
Aug 08, 2025
Less than two months after U.S. Senate Republicans confirmed Billy Long as head of the Internal Revenue Service, the scandal-plagued commissioner confirmed on Friday that he is leaving the IRS to serve as President Donald Trump's ambassador to Iceland.
U.S. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)—who opposed Long's IRS nomination with the rest of the chamber's Democrats—pledged in a Friday statement that a probe of the outgoing commissioner will continue.
"From the minute Trump announced Billy Long as his IRS pick it was obvious this would end badly, but every Senate Republican voted to confirm his nomination anyway," said Wyden. "He didn't even last two months on the job. Let's not forget that there wasn't a vacancy at the time Trump announced Long's nomination. Danny Werfel, a skilled leader with fans among Democrats and Republicans, had years left on his term."
The senator pointed out that "in just a handful of months, Trump and his crew have already gutted taxpayer service, weaponized IRS data against innocent taxpayers, and set us up for disaster when next year's filing season comes around. This is what Trump does—pick incompetent, unserious people for serious jobs, and sit back as the damage piles up."
"Billy Long left Congress a few years ago and went straight into the tax fraud industry, his only real experience in tax before his nomination," he added. "My investigators have obtained alarming information pertaining to Long's conduct at the IRS that we have begun to investigate, and that process will continue regardless of whether Trump stashes Long away in some foreign embassy."
The ouster was initially reported by The New York Times, which noted that "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner until a permanent replacement takes office," according to a senior Trump administration official.
Long then confirmed the development on his personal social media account, saying that "it is a honor to serve my friend President Trump and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland. I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!"
He later added a joke about Immigration and Customs Enforcement: "I saw where former Superman actor Dean Cain says he's joining ICE so I got all fired up and thought I'd do the same. So I called Donald Trump last night and told him I wanted to join ICE and I guess he thought I said Iceland? Oh well."
A spokesperson for Bessent's department, which includes the IRS, said in a statement: "Treasury thanks Commissioner Long for his commitment to public service and the American people. His zeal and enthusiasm to bring a fresh perspective to the federal government was evident in both the House of Representatives and as part of the Trump administration. A new candidate for commissioner will be announced at the appropriate time."
Long previously represented Missouri in the U.S. House, where Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) responded to the IRS commissioner's exit with a statement blasting Trump.
"We don't even need more details on Trump's latest scuttle to know how damaging his presidency has been for the IRS," Neal said. "With nearly a new commissioner each month and weakened customer service from his mass firings, the rampant instability comes at the expense of all who rely on it. One thing is for sure: Secretary Bessent should focus on his own job before collecting more responsibility."
Several critics, including Neal, highlighted that Long was preceded by several IRS leaders this year. As retired Adm. Mike Franken, a former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Iowa, put it on social media: "IRS Commissioner Billy Long is removed, the sixth change this year, by the guy who only hires 'the very best people.' The clown show continues."
Long's firing prompted widespread speculation that he was leaving the IRS because he refused to comply with an order from the president. Journalist Josh Marshall wondered, "How bad did the ask have to be for a Trumpy sleazebag like Billy Long to say no?"
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US Manufacturing Sector 'Sputtering' as Trump Tariffs Hit Consumers
"The management of these tariffs has been utterly chaotic, secretive and ripe for corruption as Trump and his advisors scheme and deal behind closed doors," said Sen. Ron Wyden.
Aug 07, 2025
After multiple delays, the "reciprocal" tariffs first announced this past spring by U.S. President Donald Trump went into effect on Thursday even as the American economy is showing serious signs of weakness.
As reported by CNBC, the new tariffs hit nations all over the world and included particularly hefty tariffs on longtime trading partners such as Brazil, which got hit with a 50% tariff as Trump tries to pressure the country to drop criminal charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who allegedly plotted a coup attempt after losing the 2022 general election to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
While many longtime U.S. allies such as the European Union and Japan struck deals with Trump ahead of this week's deadline, their products are still getting hit with 15% tariffs that are far higher than any duties placed on foreign goods in decades.
On his Truth Social page on Thursday morning, Trump celebrated the implementation of the tariffs and declared that "tariffs are flowing into the USA at levels not thought even possible!"
However, the president's triumphant tone does not match what consumer sentiment and economic data are currently showing. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the American manufacturing economy, which Trump has claimed will benefit the most from his tariffs, is currently "sputtering" as companies face higher costs of key inputs such as steel, aluminum, and copper.
"From March to July, U.S. manufacturing activity contracted, according to the Institute for Supply Management's monthly survey," noted WSJ. "The Manufacturing PMI last registered at 48, below the 50 score that differentiates growth and decline."
The Journal also cited top domestic manufacturers such as Whirlpool, Polaris, and Harley-Davidson who say that consumer demand has been hit in recent months as consumers pull back spending in the face of the president's tariffs. In fact, Polaris CEO Mike Speetzen told investors during a recent earnings call that "consumers are really just reluctant to go spend right now unless they really need to or they're fortunate enough to have the financial flexibility to do that."
Data released last week also showed that the American labor market overall has nearly ground to a halt over the last three months, as the economy added an average of 35,000 jobs per month from May through July.
As if all that weren't enough, the tariffs are expected to hit Americans with price increases across a wide range of products during a time when voters say they are still very anxious about the cost of groceries.
Leor Tal, campaign director for the progressive advocacy organization Unrig Our Economy, blasted Trump's tariffs as "a tax on working-class families, raising costs on everyday goods, killing jobs, and more." He also challenged Republican lawmakers who in the past have spoken up against the tariffs to use their power to retake from the president the authority to levy taxes.
"When they return from their month-long vacation, will Republicans finally change course and vote to end these tariffs, since—according to them—they are bad for the economy?" he asked. "If they truly want to support their constituents, and not just millionaires and billionaires, they should."
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) delivered a similarly scathing denunciation of Trump's tariffs, which he labeled "backward economic policies."
"The management of these tariffs has been utterly chaotic, secretive and ripe for corruption as Trump and his advisors scheme and deal behind closed doors," he said. "Regardless of whether Trump still doesn't know what tariffs are or is lying about them, he should never be forgiven for jacking up the cost of living by thousands of dollars per year after campaigning on a promise to bring prices down across the board."
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, said that Trump's tariffs are a complete betrayal of his 2024 campaign pledges to bring down the cost of living.
"The damage is only beginning," she said of the tariffs. "Everything from shoes to dish soap, to diapers, to American automobiles, is about to cost more. President Trump and the billionaires he serves could not care less. To them, your cost-of-living increase is just the cost of doing business."
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