CHICAGO (WLS) — Former President Joe Biden took the stage at Chicago’s Sofitel Hotel on Tuesday evening.
Speaking at a bipartisan conference, he addressed the challenges that the Social Security Administration and millions of Americans relying on its services are currently facing.
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“Social Security is more than a government program. It’s a sacred promise!” Biden said.
Former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley introduced Biden at a conference organized by Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled. This organization is known for its support for individuals who rely on Social Security and disability services.
“This conference is taking place at a crucial moment in our country’s history and in the history of Social Security. Although Social Security has never failed to make a payment in its 90-year history, it is currently facing significant challenges,” O’Malley emphasized. “It is essential for us to make our voices heard. The government belongs to all of us, not just one individual or president. We must protect Social Security for ourselves, our children, and future generations,” O’Malley stressed.
Biden called out the current administration for “taking a hatchet” to Social Security just months after one of his last acts in office was celebrating the signing of the Social Security Fairness Act.
“In fewer than 100 days, this new administration has made, has done so much damage and so much destruction. It’s kind of breathtaking,” Biden said. “They are following that old line from tech start-ups. The quote is ‘move fast, break things.’ They’re certainly breaking things.”
Even before Biden took his grievances to the podium, President Donald Trump signaled plans to sign a memorandum to block undocumented immigrants from receiving Social Security benefits.
And earlier Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about Biden’s speech.
“My first reaction when seeing former President Biden was speaking tonight was, I’m shocked that he is speaking at nighttime. I thought his bedtime was much earlier,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt went on to defend Trump’s stance on Social Security, despite Democrats sounding the alarm on the closing of Social Security offices, longer wait times and accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities to receive their benefits.
“President Trump is absolutely certain about protecting Social Security benefits for law-abiding, tax-paying American citizens and seniors who have paid into this program,” she said.
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And yet, the Trump administration’s actions say otherwise, according to O’Malley.
O’Malley estimates two-thirds of the agency’s senior executive leaders have either quit or have been paid to quit, in addition to the planned workforce reduction of 7,000 agency employees.
“I truly believe that they have done such damage to this agency in such a short period of time that we’re likely to see the first benefit interruptions that this agency has ever seen,” O’Malley said.
Attendees at Tuesday’s conference are still uncertain of what is to come for the people they serve.
“For my coworkers and I, we want to provide the best service for all the claimants that we have, and when you just don’t know what’s going to happen next, it’s hard to comfort these people,” said Salus Disability Law Finance and Strategy Director Cade Maldonado.
Meanwhile, Biden’s appearance is one of his first since leaving the White House. The former president has been quiet in the first few months of his post-presidency despite near daily criticism from Trump.
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Earlier Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker was asked about Biden’s planned appearance in Chicago.
“I think in his post-presidency, what a perfect thing for him to be doing, honestly, to be meeting with people with disabilities, organizations that stand up for them, and highlighting Social Security, which is under attack by the new administration,” Pritzker said.
According to O’Malley, roughly 73 million Americans are beneficiaries of the Social Security Administration.
So, Biden’s remarks on Tuesday evening were, in some ways, a direct address to all of those people many of which rely on Social Security and disability services as their sole source of income.
The former president also said on Tuesday night that in all his years of politics, he has never seen the nation so divided.
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