Donald Trump and his shadow president Elon Musk are attacking millions of seniors’ and veterans’ hard-earned benefits with chaotic funding cuts, delayed Social Security checks, and “severe” shortages that force veterans to get care in crowded hallways. While Trump makes life worse for seniors and veterans to give his billionaire backers tax handouts, it’s clear that his priorities lie with propping up the ultra-wealthy — not helping hardworking Americans. 

Here’s a look at the latest coverage of Donald Trump going after veterans’ and seniors’ hard-earned benefits: 

New York Times: “The cramped conditions are the result of President Trump’s decision to rescind remote work arrangements for federal employees, reversing a policy that at the V.A. long predated the pandemic. Since Mr. Trump’s order, the Department of Veterans Affairs has been scrambling to find adequate office space for tens of thousands of health care employees, even those who see most or all of their patients virtually, while maintaining the legal requirement of confidentiality. …

“But interviews with three dozen V.A. employees, internal agency documents and photographs provided to The New York Times from six V.A. facilities depict crowded or stopgap office spaces where clinicians say they are being asked to administer mental health treatment or discuss sensitive information in open settings where conversations can be overheard. …

“Some providers told The Times that they are quitting or retiring early rather than work in conditions that jeopardize patient privacy or undertake long commutes just to talk to patients on video. The V.A. is already suffering from ‘severe’ shortages of psychologists and psychiatrists, according to an agency report.”

CBS News: “The incorrectly marked deaths are just a piece of the Trump administration’s crash program …

“KFF Health News’ interviews with more than a dozen beneficiaries, advocates, lawyers, current and former employees, and lawmakers suggest the overhaul is making the agency worse at its primary job: sending checks to seniors, orphans, widows, and those with disabilities. …

“Carolyn Villers, executive director of the Massachusetts Senior Action Council, said two of her members’ March payments were several days late. ‘For one member that meant not being able to pay rent on time,’ she said. ‘The delayed payment is not something I’ve heard in the last 20 years.’” 

NPR: “The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as of Thursday, has ended a new mortgage-rescue program that so far has helped about 20,000 veterans avoid foreclosure and keep their homes.

“The move leaves millions of military veterans with far worse options than most other American homeowners if they run into trouble paying their home loans. And it comes at a time when nearly 90,000 VA loans are seriously past due, with 33,000 of those already in the foreclosure process, according to the data and analytics firm ICE.”

New York Times: “Trump Asks Supreme Court to Let DOGE View Social Security Data”

“In her ruling, Judge Hollander wrote that the ‘intrusion into the personal affairs of millions of Americans — absent an adequate explanation for the need to do so — is not in the public interest,’ especially because the agency ‘has long communicated to the public its commitment to privacy.’”