CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN LEADS HUDSON VALLEY SENIORS IN COMMUNITY SPEAK OUT TO PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY
Congressman Pat Ryan Leads Hudson Valley Seniors in Community Speak Out to Protect Social Security
Last month, the temporarily closed Poughkeepsie Social Security office appeared on the DOGE website under the “savings” tab, leaving Hudson Valley seniors in the dark on the future of their care
Congressman Ryan demanded that then-acting Social Security Administrator Michelle King resume services, just days before she resigned after refusing to provide DOGE officials access to sensitive information
All of this comes amid a flurry of attacks on Social Security from Elon Musk and President Trump, as well as the mass firing of thousands of SSA employees, leaving seniors in lurch over the security of their earned benefits
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – Today, led by Congressman Pat Ryan, Hudson Valley seniors gathered at the Dutchess County Office for the Aging in Poughkeepsie to participate in a Community Speak Out. The seniors raised fears concerning the future of the Poughkeepsie Social Security office, the mass layoffs of Social Security workers, and the increasing attacks on the program by Elon Musk and President Trump. Musk recently called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” Ryan was also joined by elected officials including Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino, Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers, Assemblyman Anil Beephan, District Attorney Anthony Parisi, Legislature Chairman Will Truitt, and Dutchess County Minority Leader Yvette Valdez Smith.
“Social Security represents a sacred promise to our seniors. Elon Musk and Donald Trump are breaking that promise every day, and Hudson Valley families are paying the price,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “They’re coming after our personal information, they’re closing Social Security offices, they’re mass firing staff, and they’re threatening the survival of the program itself. We’re elevating voices from across the Hudson Valley so they can hear us all the way down in Washington: hands off our Social Security.”
“It was because of programs like Social Security and Medicare and protections for labor unions that my family was able to escape from poverty into the middle class. And it is because of those programs that I am able to live in a lovely home in Dutchess County. To be clear, without Social Security I would lose that home. And for the first time in my long life I have fears that I could lose Social Security,” said Larry Cox of Tivoli. “Social Security is not something given to us by the government. It is a right we are born with. And it can not be taken away from us by any government, national or local, and certainly not by Donald Trump or Elon Musk.”
“Social Security is our money. We've been paying into it our whole working lives. Now they just take our money and don't give us the benefits they promised? Is it this administration's plan to make the lives of regular working people as hard as possible? To keep us impoverished and too discouraged to complain?” said Janet Waegel of Kingston. “ Social Security was a promise between this country and its citizens: pay into it now and we'll take care of you when you retire. Who said they could take a sledgehammer to the system and just break the deal? What's their plan? That they won't have to cut the benefits if they just make it impossible for people to get them? I called the national 800 number. I was on hold for 25 minutes then the call was disconnected. I called another office, I was on hold for 15 minutes. A representative answered, put me on hold, and THEN I was disconnected. So, now they're going to close more offices and fire a lot more people. We need to do something about this.”
“I have a 26 year old daughter, Sarah, who has autism, low IQ, ADHD, chronic anxiety & depression, asthma, and ulcerative colitis. She has been on SSI since age 18 and SSDI for several years since her father became disabled. It would be a complete disaster and inhumane if Sarah were to lose her benefits. She is exactly who they are meant for: to facilitate her being able to live independently and be a functioning member of society,” said Dr. Rebecca Dulit of Ulster County. “I am also speaking on behalf of my many patients who depend on Social Security and Medicare to support themselves and many of whom have children with special needs who depend on benefits like my daughter does. It would be a tragedy if our country let these vulnerable people down.”
“Throughout this whole experience over the past few weeks, there has been an overall lack of clarity and communication from SSA. Us at the Union had to bring up to management attention that the Poughkeepsie Social Security office was found on the DOGE list and up until last week, local management was instructed not to meet with their staff, even when we asked management to do so,” said Amanda Bracco, a union representative with AFGE Local 3343.“In fact, we got updates from articles with comments from SSA days before we got information through the appropriate internal channels. The people that suffer are those that rely on Social Security in the Hudson Valley.”
“The Republican administration’s ongoing assault on the elderly, poor and those with disabilities will bring suffering to many – none of whom deserve it. It goes against everything we stand for - or used to stand for, before the Trump administration decided to trash every program that helps people here at home and overseas,” said Bruce Ginsberg of Ulster County. “Drastic cuts to staff, closing offices that many rely and depend on, reducing or eliminating benefits for those in need - these are the cowardly acts of those now in power who do not care about anyone but themselves and their rich donors and friends. We need to do better - We MUST do better.”
“I stand in solidarity with my fellow community officials in advocating for the Social Security office in Poughkeepsie to remain open and accessible to our residents,” said Assemblyman Anil Beephan. “Just a few weeks ago, I sent a letter to both Congressmen Pat Ryan and Mike Lawler highlighting these concerns, and I am proud to see bipartisan support for this commonsense issue from all levels of government. Our residents deserve reliable access to these essential services, and I will continue fighting to ensure their needs are met.”
Congressman Ryan has repeatedly stood up to reductions in care for Hudson Valley seniors, vehemently fighting the closure of the Kingston Social Security Office. Following that closure, and the closure of the Newburgh SSA office, Congressman Ryan introduced the Protecting Social Security Act which, along with safeguarding seniors’ earned benefits, would make it such that every county in NY-18 have its own Social Security Office.
When the supposed “temporary” closure of the Poughkeepsie office was announced, Congressman Ryan sounded the alarm warning of a more permanent reduction in care. Many seniors are unable to physically make it to further offices, and with 7 million seniors relying on Social Security for more than 90 percent of their income, this kind of obstacle can serve as a fatal roadblock to accessing benefits. Recent reporting from the Center for American Progress shows that when field offices close, the number of Social Security recipients receiving disability benefits in the area falls by 16 percent.
In the context of recent attacks on Social Security from the Trump Administration and Elon Musk, this closure and the mass staff reductions at SSA pose major threats to the security and longevity of seniors’ benefits. However, going after the program is not new for the President– last spring, Trump said that there is “a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.” The authors of Project 2025, Trump’s policy playbook, are pushing to raise the retirement age for Social Security, cutting benefits for millions of Americans.
In response to these attacks, Congressman Ryan has continued to stand with the senior community in the Hudson Valley, in addition to impacted federal workers. He has hosted several community events surrounding the issue, and has continued to push for the passage of his Protecting Social Security Act, which would both safeguard payments and ensure that every county in NY-18 has a local Social Security office.
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