Former U.S. President Joe Biden delivered his first major public address since leaving office in January, speaking out in defence of the Social Security Administration amid sweeping staff cuts and office closures under the Trump administration.
In a speech delivered Tuesday (April 15) in Chicago to a gathering of disability advocates, Biden criticised the ongoing reductions led by the Department of Government Efficiency headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk, which has been implementing broad downsizing across the federal workforce.
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In a speech delivered Tuesday (April 15) in Chicago to a gathering of disability advocates, Biden criticised the ongoing reductions led by the Department of Government Efficiency headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk, which has been implementing broad downsizing across the federal workforce.
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
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NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you, thank you, thank you.
00:06We need to work, and school, and their communities.
00:10And Social Security is more than a government program.
00:13It's a sacred promise.
00:16We made this in a sacred promise.
00:19Seventy-three million Americans receive Social Security.
00:23From their first paycheck for their entire life,
00:26they pay into Social Security.
00:29In return, they count on Social Security to be for them
00:32when they're going to need it.
00:35Folks must never, ever betray that trust
00:38or turn our backs on an obligation.
00:41Why are these guys taking aim in Social Security now?
00:44Well, they're certainly breaking things.
00:47They're shooting first and aiming later.
00:50As a result,
00:52the result is a lot of needless pain and sleepless nights.
00:56Fewer than 100 days.
00:59This new administration has made so much,
01:03done so much damage and so much destruction.
01:06It's kind of breathtaking it could happen that soon.
01:09They've taken a hatch into the Social Security Administration,
01:13pushing an additional 7,000 employees.
01:177,000 out the door in that time,
01:20including the most seasoned career officials.
01:23Now they're getting ready to push thousands more out the door.
01:28Already we can see the effects.
01:30For example, thousands of people use the Social Security website
01:34every single day to check on their benefits and submit their claims.
01:38But now the Technology Division of Social Security Administration
01:44has been cut in half.
01:46And so the website's crashing.
01:49People can't sign onto their accounts.
01:52What do you think it does to that woman living alone,
01:57that 74-years check-in, just not able to even find out whether,
02:01she can't even find out what that disability claim is she has.
02:06She can't file a new disability claim.
02:10And a lot of these people are being told incorrectly
02:12because their benefits have ended.
02:18Folks, imagine the panic that causes.
02:22God bless you all and may God protect our troops.
02:25Thank you, I mean, thank you for what you do.
02:28We thank you for this wonderful award.
02:30Thank you, thank you.