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231
Social Security chief’s ‘Turn It Off’ comment is latest insane turn for beleaguered agency (www.huffpost.com)
submitted 5 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world
23 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Summary

Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek threatened to shut down the agency after a court barred Elon Musk’s DOGE team from accessing sensitive databases.

Dudek said he would cut off IT access for all employees, raising fears of halted benefits for 70 million Americans.

The court later clarified that not all SSA employees were DOGE affiliates, leading Dudek to backtrack.

Critics, including advocacy groups, accuse Dudek of undermining the agency and pursuing Musk and Trump’s anti-fraud agenda, which falsely alleges widespread improper payments.

top 23 comments
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[–] Makeitstop@lemmy.world 78 points 5 days ago (2 children)

“Let’s say Social Security didn’t send out their checks this month. My mother-in-law, who’s 94, she wouldn’t call and complain. She just wouldn’t. She’d think something got messed up and she’ll get it next month,” Lutnick said on the “All-In” podcast. “A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling and complaining.”)

Yes, of course. Fraudsters are the ones who will want to bring attention to themselves when the checks stop coming, and not poor people who rely on that money to survive.

I know these people are stupid, crazy and sadistic, but it's like they have some kind of competition going to see who can be the stupidest and most repugnant.

[–] MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net 38 points 5 days ago (1 children)

“A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling and complaining.”)

And then gets elected anyway.

[–] Crazyslinkz@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Elections aren't about what you can do, it's a popularity contest.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 4 days ago

And this is the person who is IN CHARGE OF Social Security.

[–] simplejack@lemmy.world 31 points 5 days ago (5 children)

The shit will hit the fan if social security gets cut. This will push the public over the edge.

[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 37 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Hate to say it, but good. We need to hit the tipping point and soon.

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

I'm hoping they continue with the extremism. Worst case scenario was Trumps admin continuing business as usual. A slow and calculated takeover would make the warnings of fascism appear to be a lie. Our only hope now is that the fascists are as stupid as they appear —as stupid as the electorate — stupid enough to push too hard, too fast, and turn the majority of the domestic and international population against them before they achieve their goals. They're well on their way!

At this point the only thing that could snap Republicans out of their mental illness is extreme pain and distress. I'm talking recession, extreme poverty, homelessness, starvation... millions of previously comfortable people becoming unemployed and destitute. These ignorant know-nothing bottom-feeders need metaphorical blunt force trauma to bring them back to their dumb as fuck reality. If that fails, they're gonna end up causing literal blunt force trauma, and fascists aren't ever gonna win this fight. We're talking about anti-intellectuals who think critical thought is something you attain from quacks on youtube. They're all gonna end up dead, but millions of innocent people will die before their loss is final.

[–] nomy@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Cut social security and Medicare now.

It'll suck for a lot of people. Parents will have to move in with their kids. It'll collapse entire sectors of Healthcare, housing, even basic stuff like utilities and grocers will be decimated by the loss.

The worst thing would be for them to be able to kick the can down the road long enough that their policies have time to solidify. Once the institutional knowledge is gone for good we won't just be able to repair the damage.

[–] MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com 1 points 4 days ago

I hope people stand firm about letting republicans deal with their own issues. I have R family that are not welcome in my home. I have D friends that I would gladly let stay with me. I don't think it'll matter, but no quarter for Rs imho. I'm sure the government will find a way to just keep checks going to people registered R, or open places for them, or force dependent status or something, but no one should open their homes to them. If the government is hostile to me, I can at least make my home hostile to them.

[–] limer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 5 days ago

I don’t think so; just a lot of quiet suffering and a storm of online activity.

People will have no clue what to do, no leaders to help them, and no support to protest.

So, no mass protests except by a few in very large cities like we have already seen the last few years

[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Here's the problem

Under anything resembling normal circumstances, I agree with you. Because senior citizens vote. Politicians had something to fear because senior citizens are the largest voting bloc by far.

But what happens when Trump and the GOP feel their vote is no longer needed? The GOP have traditionally coddled senior citizens because they tend to vote and tend to skew Republican. But lately, they've instead been responding to their town halls by telling voters to suck it up and deal with it. If the politicians feel that the fix is in and the senior vote is no longer a priority, it has the side effect of basically relegating seniors from an influential voting bloc to a whole bunch of old people sitting in a room screaming. Granted, that line of thinking might backfire spectacularly in the 2026 midterms if seniors actually vote accordingly instead of just continuing to blame Democrats, but if Trump throws a monkey wrench into the works (or just suspends elections, or is successful in getting seniors to believe that it's all the Dems' fault, or whatever), then they basically win. They're going all in and are definitely overbetting the pot, but at the same time, they also overbetting with a very winnable hand given the current situation.

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 5 points 4 days ago

This is different from the townhalls. Actual money is involved, simple as that. They themselves said that they are not going to cut/end social security (a little bit too late though, almost like backpedaling). While they might get to a point where "you won't ever have to vote again", they are not 100% sure about it (yet). They cannot afford pissing off 70 million people and their close ones.

[–] Liberal_Ghost@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

You have a good point. Except it requires there to be midterms in 2026. At this point I'm not confident that will happen

[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

That's my point. It only backfires on them if there are even 2026 elections at all, and if Republican voters don't just continue voting against their own interests. And those are very, very big ifs.

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 5 points 5 days ago

There's also considerable overlap between the remaining supporters and seniors dependent on these systems.

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 3 points 4 days ago

And Trumplon realised that just a tiny bit too late. What a shitshow.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 25 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Not could you imagine what would happen if tens of millions of Americans suddenly couldn't afford to pay their bills, all at once? I'll bet these ass-disasters can't. They probably also don't know that rocks are free and making fire is easy.

[–] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Historically, a threshold of only 3.5 percent of a population to actually protest is enough to topple a regime: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world

For the US, that means about 12 million people. If those people would stand up, Trump would be finished. It's as simple as that.

[–] atthecoast@feddit.nl 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Well, Hong Kong turned out in large numbers and still was squashed. And Trump seems to like the way Xi and Putin run their countries “with an iron fist”…

[–] CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social 8 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

To be fair, Hong Kong wasn't really large numbers for the government that would actually have had to have been affected to change the policy, that is, mainland China. Had every other Chinese city had protests similar in relative scale, things might have gone differently.

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 8 points 4 days ago

Wonderful.

I'm on SSDI, (Disability), its my only income.

I got the... relatively regular Continuing Disability Review packet they send me every 6 or 7 years... got that earlier this month... and I'm gathering documents and getting everything straight before I submit it.

If... they just 'turn it off'... does that mean I can't submit my shit digitally? Does that mean if I mail it in... they won't process it?

... Would that all mean I fail the review for not submitting it on time?

I have already reached out to a non profit legal firm that hopefully can at least advise me, or if I do 'fail the review', help me through the appeals process... but the appeals process itself ... may or may not even function/exist, at this rate.

Awesome.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago

Krasnov

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago

This is all playing into their hands. Hundreds of thousands of seniors with mental issues, anxiety, Alzheimer's, etc. are calling Social Security everyday freaked out about their benefits. This has already overwhelmed their meager resources.

The administration has already changed the rules so everyone now has to go to a local Social Security Office to verify their identity because of fraud and at the same time shutting as many offices as they can get away with

Also let's threaten to fire and layoff the remaining staff. This is deliberate sabotage against tens of millions of our most vulnerable Americans. After the shit hits the fan they will call for an end of Social Security pointing out the shit show they have created.