Donald Trump and Elon Musk are coming after seniors’ hard-earned benefits. After Trump shuttered Social Security field offices and limited phone services, seniors are being left on hold for hours and face payment disruptions. His administration is also attacking Medicare and Medicaid innovation programs, canceling a project that would offer $2 generic drugs to Medicare beneficiaries. 

Trump and his shadow president Elon Musk’s plans are clear: “eliminate” hard-earned benefits that serve millions of seniors while giving tax handouts to the ultra-rich and mega-corporations. 

Washington Post: “Social Security and White House officials said the administration will still move ahead with another far more limited element of the original proposal: Customers will no longer be able to change a direct deposit routing number or other bank information by phone. …

“The changes — contemplated and enacted — threatened to disrupt Social Security’s internal operations and limit its ability to serve the public, current and former officials warned, just as DOGE is targeting the agency for across-the-board staff cuts of more than 12 percent. …

“The DOGE-driven proposal … would be likely to imperil millions of Americans’ ability to receive their earned benefits. The field office staff is already facing DOGE-directed depletions as the Trump administration moves to cut 7,000 jobs at the agency and eliminate numerous field offices.”

Axios: “DOGE is taking its wrecking ball to the Social Security Administration, the agency responsible for overseeing retirement and disability benefits for 73 million Americans.

“Why it matters: The cuts underway could wind up breaking critical parts of a system that millions of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens rely on, including nearly 90% of Americans over age 65. …

“The agency also announced plans to shutter six of 10 regional offices.

“DOGE has also gained access to crucial systems, packed with private data that Flick and others said the group doesn’t have the expertise to handle.”

Axios: “The Trump Medicare innovation center plans to cancel a half dozen trials to change the way health providers are paid by the end of the year …

“CMMI will also not continue with two projects that had been announced but not yet started. One would offer $2 generic drugs to Medicare beneficiaries. A second aimed to incentivize drug manufacturers to complete confirmatory trials of accelerated approval drugs. …

“The innovation center was created through the Affordable Care Act to test different ways to provide and reimburse for health services.”