Biden administration acts to ensure people with disabilities keep their Social Security benefits

The Trump administration worked hard to destroy Social Security every which way it could. Among other things, it made it extraordinarily difficult for people to get the Social Security benefits to which they are entitled. Now, Jake Johnson reports for Common Dreams, that the Biden administration has withdrawn a Trump administration not-yet-final regulation that would likely have taken disability benefits from hundreds of thousands of Americans.

The Trump administration tried to subject people receiving Social Security long-term disability benefits to constant reviews if they wanted to retain these benefits. The additional reviews would have posed challenging administrative hurdles for people receiving benefits. As it is, qualifying for Social Security disability benefits is not easy.

Social Security Works led the advocacy effort. According to its executive director, Alex Lawson, the proposed regulation was “the Trump administration’s most brazen attack on Social Security yet.” “When Ronald Reagan implemented a similar benefit cut, it ripped away the earned benefits of 200,000 people. Ultimately, Reagan was forced to reverse his attack on Social Security after massive public outcry—but not before people suffered and died.”

President Joe Biden has a history of proposing Social Security cuts. And, he was criticized for his record on Social Security during the 2020 presidential campaign. He is now holding true to his word during the campaign that he would protect Social Security.

President Biden also promised during the campaign to increase Social Security benefits, which are not as high as they should be. For a wealthy country, Social Security benefits in the US are stingy relative to other countries. To increase Social Security benefits, it would be particularly helpful for President Biden to fire the Social Security Administration Commissioner Andrew Saul and Deputy Commissioner David Black. Donald Trump is responsible for putting these high-level anti-Social Security officials in charge of Social Security.

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