Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has proposed new legislation to protect Social Security, in response to recent service cuts and limited resources that have impacted seniors across his state.
The new bill comes as the Social Security trust fund nears depletion and Congress is under increasing pressure to address benefit sustainability and service accessibility for over 60 million beneficiaries nationwide.
Why It Matters
Social Security serves as a cornerstone of retirement security for Americans, but recent projections indicate that the program’s primary trust fund could be depleted by 2033, resulting in a 23 percent reduction in benefit payments unless Congress acts to restore solvency.
Meanwhile, staff cuts and operational challenges have put additional strain on beneficiary services, particularly for the 203,000 seniors in New York’s Southern Tier who receive monthly payments totaling more than $330 million.
The threat of reduced access, longer wait times, and potential office closures has heightened concerns about retirees’ ability to obtain earned benefits efficiently and securely.
What To Know
Schumer, a Democrat from New York, introduced the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act, which would direct resources toward improving and modernizing the Social Security system.
The legislation aims to keep local field offices open, hire more employees, reduce delays, improve data security, and ensure that all seniors receive the benefits they have earned.
“The idea is to counteract the steady decline in staffing while the number of beneficiaries continues to rise, especially in the Southern Tier states,” said Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group and host of the 9innings podcast, to Newsweek.
Schumer has publicly criticized previous staff reductions and office closures under the Trump administration, calling for more federal assistance to combat declining service levels.
“‘DOGE’ has already fired thousands of Social Security workers, and seniors are dealing with long wait times, overburdened phone lines, and websites that frequently crash. It’s also affecting local Social Security offices in the Southern Tier and Upstate New York, where nearly all have lost employees, with some losing more than a quarter of their workforce,” Schumer said in a statement.
“If no one can take your call, if the website keeps crashing, if they fire the staff that processes your claims, if they make it impossible for you to get the help you need, that’s a cut to your Social Security benefits, and I won’t stand for it.”
There have been numerous other changes to Social Security this year.
In 2025, all Social Security beneficiaries received a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), affecting more than 72.5 million Americans. This adjustment increases the average monthly retirement benefit while accounting for inflation with the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
The Social Security Fairness Act, which was also signed into law in early 2025, repealed provisions that reduced benefits for public employees with pensions from non-covered jobs.
Around 3.1 million beneficiaries have received increased payments retroactive to January 2024. These changes primarily benefit teachers, police officers, and federal employees who were previously affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset.
The Social Security trust fund is also increasingly under strain. If Congress does not approve long-term funding or revenue-raising measures, such as raising taxes on high-income earners, retiree and family benefits may be reduced automatically once reserves are depleted.
What People are Saying
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, “We must invest in and protect Social Security. That is why I am announcing that I will work with Senate Democrats to reverse Trump’s cuts, hire more workers, prevent local offices from closing, and improve Social Security for our seniors.
We need to fix Social Security and make it easier for seniors in the Southern Tier to receive their benefits, not cut the system to the bone. Our seniors worked hard their entire lives for their Social Security benefits, and we will ensure that they are protected rather than reduced.”
Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group and host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek that in the short term, increasing staffing would almost certainly help reduce wait times because more hands would be on deck to handle claims and questions.
The technological investment would accelerate modernization efforts, making it easier for people to access their benefits online and through updated systems.”
According to Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, this is the latest development in an ongoing debate between the Social Security Administration and a select group of Senators who are questioning the program’s claims of reduced wait times and improved customer service…With the current majority appetite for slashing most government services through reduced administrative costs, it’s difficult to see this legislation going far, but if recipients are having more difficulty receiving assistance, it’s possible that this issue will gain traction over time.”
What Happens Next?
Senate Democrats intend to formally introduce Social Security enhancement legislation in September. If passed, the bill would prevent office closures, increase staffing, and improve both efficiency and beneficiary services.
However, analysts believe the Democrats have little chance of moving the bill forward.
“Odds aren’t great,” Thompson said. “Washington is essentially gridlocked right now, which contradicts the current administration’s ideology. Democrats do not have the votes to pass it on their own. The only real chance is that Republicans can be convinced it was their idea in the first place. Then it may have a chance.
As the September deadline for new legislation approaches, bipartisan negotiations are expected to heat up alongside the ongoing debate over how to ensure Social Security’s long-term financial viability.
“This is classic opposition party playbook: propose something that sounds reasonable, watch Republicans vote against it, and then use it in the next election cycle,” Michael Ryan, a finance expert and founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek.
“‘They voted against protecting your Social Security benefits’ writes itself as a campaign ad, doesn’t it?”
