Senator Hassan Questions SSA Nominee on Social Security Cuts and Elon Musk's Influence

Questioning the Nominee

• 🎯 Senator Maggie Hassan questioned Frank Bisignano, nominee for Social Security Administration Commissioner, about his commitment to following the law over presidential directives.
• 💡 Bisignano affirmed he would follow the law, stating he couldn't imagine a president asking him to break it.

Concerns Over Social Security Cuts

• ⚠️ Hassan raised concerns that Elon Musk and President Trump aim to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to fund tax cuts for corporations and billionaires.
• 💰 Elon Musk's past comments, referring to Social Security as a "Ponzi scheme" and calling for cuts up to $700 billion, were highlighted.
• 📉 Such cuts could mean reducing benefits for one-third of recipients or cutting their payments by a third.

Nominee's Stance on Cuts

• 🚫 Bisignano stated he opposes cutting Social Security benefits and does not have any intention of cutting one-third of benefits.
• 🤝 He clarified that decisions on benefit cuts are made by Congress, not solely by the Commissioner.

Impact of Proposed Changes

• 🏢 Hassan expressed concern over actions making it harder for people to apply for and receive benefits, potentially slowing down payments and reducing costs at the expense of beneficiaries.
• 🏢 The proposed closure of 47 Social Security offices, including one in Littleton, New Hampshire, was a key point, forcing seniors to travel long distances.
• 🏔️ If the Littleton office closes, North Country seniors would need to travel nearly 100 miles to the next closest office.
• 🗣️ Hassan asked Bisignano if he would commit to keeping the Littleton office open or follow Elon Musk's directives.
• 🏛️ Bisignano stated he would run the agency and report to the president, promising to evaluate the situation and report back.

Additional Concerns

• 💰 Commerce Secretary Lutnik's suggestion that seniors might not mind missing a month of Social Security benefits was also brought up, questioning how long the nominee would tolerate delaying checks.