Without Social Security payments, my husband and I will lose our house.

[CTyankee]

We depend on those accounts as the mainstays of our economic situation. Yes, we have investment accounts as well and some pensions but not enough to ensure we can keep our modest, but nice, home. Since I worked in nonprofit organizations all my life and did not make a lot of money, I have a more modest income than my husband who worked for government entities at the state and local level.

We consider ourselves lucky and are grateful. Hubby went to state schools and university. We are both deeply grateful for what the government has done for us and our well being.

But I am scared sometimes that all this will come crashing down with Dump and Egon in charge of our lives.

[irisblue]

1. I will too, and access to healthcare and food

[CTyankee]

3. Are there state and local agencies that can help you?

[irisblue]

17. This is Ohio, a muddled burgundy mess with spots of navy blue

I live in a navy blue congressional district, so maybe

[CTyankee]

19. That is at least one good thing about your situation. Starting there and getting some help and advice on where you can

turn in a time of need...

[NotHardly]

32. Homelessness, w/o health care and food.

Pretty certain that either death or incarceration (homelessness is illegal in so many locations) ... what a country. Won't keep the promises made, won't release the money we contributed for decades ... rouge state for sure... rouge and cruel beyond the pale.

[elocs]

46. Oh yeah, healthcare and food. They don't want us to live, do they? Maybe Europe will send us care packages.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. Have you been notified that your checks are going to cease?

Really? And where exactly did that come from?

I really wish people here would stop posting nonsense like "OMG!!! They're taking my Social Security away!"

No, they're not.

[CTyankee]

6. You misunderstand. This was an informational statement. And we are both 85 years old.

We both exist financially within a budget where we know where our money goes. We feel vulnerable at a time in our lives where we are at our weakest to survive. Please reconsider your statement in light of two elderly folks who have worked all of our adult lives.

I wish I could share your certainty that Trump doesn't mean what he says. But in light of the threat that he and his nefarious bullies pose to us, we would be stupid not to feel scared.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

56. Meanwhile, I'm thinking of the boy who cried wolf.

People here are acting as if their March checks won't arrive and by the way they didn't get the February check.

I am apparently the only person who knows that as soon as the moms and grandmothers don't get their SS checks, they'll be moving in with their children, who will be very happy to get the SS checks happening again.

[CTyankee]

58. Sadly, you don't know me or my situation nor that of my grown children. Nor do you live in my fear.

We have made plans with care and now we are old. And we have a mentally unhinged POTUS who threaten our ability to survive financially. I think we have good reason to fear an insane POTUS. It is a wise fear.

[Hekate]

61. Hang in there 💕

[mucholderthandirt]

66. What the fuck is wrong with you? Blasting people for having very real fears? Are you paying attention?

Because it looks like you'd rather bash someone for a real and very potential issue. Trump has said he will destroy SS. He's acting on that, along with his toad boy, Musk.

The OPs are actually in better shape than many of us. I have no extra source of income. I live in a dump mobile home, which is paid for on land that is paid for, but that's my only benefit. Well, and my son who can't afford to live on his own, and isn't that far from worrying about SS himself. Without SS, Medicare and potentially Medicaid, I can't make it on my own. It's a very bleak future.

And there you are, putting the OP down for being afraid. You don't belong here with that attitude.

[womanofthehills]

64. Sounds like you might be good for 10 yrs

Supposedly SS has enough money till 2035 and after that - like 83% of the money according to some reports - BUT Motley Fool had a hopefully better prediction.

Motley Fool. -“ Social Security is expected to run out of money in 2035, according to the latest estimates.
However, this is based on one set of assumptions that may or may not happen.
Under one scenario analyzed by the Social Security trustees, the money could last until 2080.

https://www.fool.com/retirement/2024/09/19/will-social-security-really-run-out-of-money-in-20/

[W_HAMILTON]

7. The goddamn head of the Social Security Administration under the Biden administration warned people...

...that the payment system could collapse within the next 30 to 90 days due to recklessness of what the Trump administration is doing.

Thanks for your two cents, but I'll be trusting him instead.

[Dan]

20. My two cents on this

As a former IT person (who actually worked with COBOL) back in the day - I would say this. Even tho’ they may lay off several layers of people within the SS Administration/Staff - all they have to do is let the regular computer jobs run as they have been running. It will continue to generate the computed amounts for people currently on SS. Now, what might happen assuming that they leave the IT personnel alone, is this:

Assuming that they leave the banking stuff alone - the deposits will automatically run into your bank accounts.
People that receive paper checks - question is whether they have terminated the distribution process (paper, mailing, pickup of checks, manual stuff).
New People that are just applying for SS might not get into the computerized system due to processing / data entry stuff.
Recently deceased people might continue to receive a check - this is due to the interfaces between the States and SS (Vital Statistics).

But that is dependent on MUSK people not messing with the system or any of it’s interfaces.

My thoughts - maybe some more knowledgeable can share their thoughts.

[SWBTATTReg]

28. As an IT person I agree w/ your analysis. Pretty well on the button I'd say even.

[intrepidity]

34. Have you seen this?

You might be interested; a detailed look at the moving parts.

https://www.crisesnotes.com/musk-in-your-computers-paul-krugman-interviews-nathan-tankus/

[markie]

67. my sense...

the logistics of how the payment is made is not the concern/fear... we are all experiencing the uncertainty of ""MUSK people not messing with the system"" they (tfg and DOGE) have stressed they believe (belief, not fact) there is much fraud, and we have seen that they are callous, uncaring and vile... the sense is that anything is possible

it is the human behind the machine that we are afraid of, angry with

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

68. The very vast majority of Social Security recipients

have their money directly deposited to their account. Paper checks haven't been mailed in well over a decade. So yeah, those will continue to arrive.

[synni]

10. It will happen, and happen soon

Just because you choose to bury your head in the sand and ignore reality, those of us dependent upon Social Security must face that reality.

Invalidating people, as you are, is a form of verbal abuse. As an abuse survivor, I will not tolerate people abusing me OR others in this way.

Social Security is at risk. We must unite to protect it.

[Ray Bruns]

18. Thank you!

[DENVERPOPS]

27. The upcoming

United Corporations of America would be elated to get rid of Social Security, Medicare, and every last regulatory agency, and take us back to the days of the GILDED AGE and ROBBER BARRONS as well as the "Wild Wild West" with no law or order.

In 1997 the Republicans wrote a manifest called Project 1997 that was horrifying, but he 2025 manifest is ten times worse...
Both were their game plans for the future. And the Republican CABAL just use them as their check list. The 1% at the top, and the 99% barely existing as serfs and peasants.......

You know what is really weird????? All my life, the Republicans led the charge, always screaming about the Commie Russians this and Commie Russians that, and saying Better Dead than Red, etc etc etc. And yet it is these same Republicans, who have literally sold out America and joined hands with our top enemy, Russia, to obliterate America......Now that is un-believeably and completely the weirdest.......

[intrepidity]

37. But they say

it is because Russia is no longer communist. How do we answer that?

[DENVERPOPS]

45. Well

THEY also say a ton of other lies, like Ukraine started the war with Russia.........

Every time a RepubliCON opens their mouth it is:

#1 PURE hypocrisy

#2 a FLAGRANT lie

#3 180 degrees from REASON and REALITY

[Baron2024]

40. Autocrats And Racists

I think one reason that MAGAs like Russia is that Russians are Caucasians. It is a conservative racist connection. You don't see MAGAs expressing much sympathy with China. Trump and fascists like him love Russia because it is an autocracy under the Dictator Putin. So I think the Russia love is a combination of racism and liking autocrats. MAGA is a white supremacist and anti-democracy movement. My two cents.

[CTyankee]

30. Thanks, synni.

This situation with Trump makes me literally sick to my stomach and a little queasy as I left the supermarket this morning. Of course, all kinds of crazy stuff was going on in my head. I was feeling so strange I thought I might be suffering a stroke. I was fine, tho. I never want to feel that way again...

[vapor2]

53. I am working really hard on distractions from the news

but my gut hurts due to fear of the unknown and the hatred by this entire administration.. I am hoping for anything positive to save us

[Tansy_Gold]

49. I really wish people

would stop denigrating those of us who are afraid.

If you aren't in the position of depending on certain forms of income that MAY be withdrawn, please keep your "nonsense" to yourself.

[dutch777]

4. Would be foolish of the GOP to go after SS and I think they know that. But write all your Fed elective reps early & ...

...often with your concerns. Make THEM paranoid of what will happen to THEM if they allow SS to be damaged or decreased. I hope it never becomes an issue for you beyond the worry.

[CTyankee]

9. We have. And we live in a wonderful state. The safety net here, at least, is pretty strong.

[dutch777]

12. I am glad to hear that. Wishing you the best! Sorry you and so many who least deserve it have this worry.

[elocs]

47. They are going to catch lots of Magas & Republicans in their destroy SS net.

Which is why I don't think there will be any midterms that matter because if they're going to get screwed in an election, why would they allow it to happen?

[CTyankee]

8. thank you. Your words comfort me.

[BBbats]

11. I too am dependant on Social Security & Medicare.

SS is about 50% of my income.Mainly covers my rent.
If it's cut I might get by if my part time job holds out. I'm still a musician & get a few gigs per month. I could work more but I can't afford a car & all that goes with it.Especially now that SS might go down. Fortunately my region offers Seniors a free pass for all Public transportation. I get some SNAP benefits too. That's already been cut but I still get it. I'm not sure if my prescription plan is intact.I'm trying to get all my medical stuff resolved before the proverbial shit hits the fan. I put in SS for 50 years. 30 of those years self employed.
I can probably hold out for a year if the job holds out.

[CTyankee]

14. Hope you get the services you need and your job holds out. I am so sorry for your circumstance.

good, hardworking people should not suffer and fear as you do.

[BBbats]

16. Thank You!

Believe me I'm better off that most Seniors should my SS be cut or teminated.
I can get by on very little.

[elocs]

52. I could probably hold out for a year but fortunately at 72 I'm in good physical shape,

if there are any jobs to be had. I read that in Feb. we had the fewest jobs created since Feb. of 2009. I'm going to end up living in my van, homeless.

[JCMach1]

13. Healthcare, home for my family, completely wiped

If this happens

[CTyankee]

15. I am so sorry. Let's hope we can all survive this madness called Trump!

[elleng]

21. Less likely to be felt 'soon' by those participating for longer time.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20110260

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20110376

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20110517

[camartinwv]

22. I will lose my house if SS is delayed or cut. I have no more savings left.

I will have to take my 3 dogs and 1 cat to the pound. They won’t be able to live in the car with me.

[SnoopDog]

23. In 2023, Social Security paid out $1.392 trillion to retirees/disabled

Fucking with Social Security, stopping payments will remove $1.392 trillion from the yearly economy.

That's ~$1.3 trillion not going to businesses and their employees.

That will kill the economy and is commonly called a depression...

[SWBTATTReg]

29. Nailed it!

[CTyankee]

33. It's the kind of thing a madman would do and Trump, I fear, is a madman. He is insane at this point.

[Tansy_Gold]

50. As is Pres. Musk

Between the two of them, I think they believe they will simply transfer that $1.3T into their own pockets. Madmen, indeed.

[Arger68]

24. My parents are 85 and rely

mostly on social security also. My two brothers and I can probably keep them in their apartment for a year or so, but what then? Also, in doing that what will we do for retirement when our time comes? As the youngest at 57 I don't have a lot of time to prepare for retirement without social security either. I do have a 401k and some ira's that I did before I started working my current job, but it's not nearly enough to support me for 20-30 years by any means. All this so a few billionaires can fluff their egos with even more money that they can't even use?

[Gore1FL]

25. I suspect there are many people in your position as well as others in different situations but with similar worries.

Should the feared events occur, the banks are not going to be in a hurry to foreclose. Likewise, the governments involved in each case is not going to want to deal with the homeless and hunger problems.

I am not saying there is no need to worry. I do suspect there will be forces trying to mitigate it should it happen.

[CTyankee]

31. I feel safer in CT because we have sane, realistic government. And all my grown kids are in very blue states.

Luckily, my family in CA were not near the fires and are fine but I was a worried mess for a couple of days when I couldn't reach them.

[Gore1FL]

35. I am in a blue city in a red state. (St. Louis, MO).

I'm likely going to have to put my retirement off a couple of years because of Trump. I'd consider moving if I were younger.

[orangecrush]

26. Same boat here.

Won't have anything left to lose, basically.

[mike_c]

36. we're in the same boat

We live in a small, 60 year old house in a retirement community. I'll bet half the people here would lose their house or have to sell if their Social Security is stopped. We certainly would.

[CTyankee]

39. The only good news is that our house is worth a lot more than we paid for it. However, at our age, we would have to put

it into Assisted Living. My mother died at age 92 and I am now 85. I am in pretty good shape for my age and hopefully I will keep going until I'm into my 90s. But I doubt we could stay in this house that long and assisted living will be our only option. we do have a much younger friend in one. He was a plumber all his life and his knees are wrecked as a result. Luckily, he had a strong union with great retirement benefits and worked for the state of CT for many years.

[GoodRaisin]

38. I'm not real worried about this until it happens.

I know O’Malley and Hartmann are sounding the alarm but if this really happens all hell will break loose. I’m not convinced the Thugs are ready for the backlash that would be associated with that, unless Krasnov is ready to declare martial law.

[Fil1957]

41. As much as the repugnants want to,

I really don't think they'll eliminate social security and other safety net programs. Too many people rely on these programs and would lose everything if discontinued. People losing everything, would spark civil unrest and the repugs know this. However, even though I believe this scenario is quite unlikely, we should prepare for it as much as we can just in case.

[Alice Kramden]

42. Similar situation

And this old gal (me) will be marching in the streets if they do this.

[elocs]

43. Me too. I will be homeless. I had SS money taken out of every paycheck for 40 years.

It's theft. I had trust in the system.
I have a 70 year old sister with a 48 year old daughter with Down Syndrome. SS (not much) and SSI are all the income they have. Fortunately for her though, she has a younger daughter who makes $87,000/year with UHC so that might save her.

Who believes this has all happened so suddenly?

[electron_blue]

44. how terrible! have you...

this has the potential to affect tens of millions of Americans and so, perversely, it may finally put a stop to Trump/Elon's destruction. May I ask whether you have called your members of congress about this?

Some say it takes just 17 calls in a day to let a MOC know an issue is HUGE

[CTyankee]

59. Good advice. I will phone each of their offices. They are all good, solid Dems from deep blue CT....

[Quanto Magnus]

48. Same here

I'm hoping that the courts are able to stop whatever the fascists are going to try next to kill/reduce S.S.

[TexLaProgressive]

51. Lots of us in the same anxiety ridden boat.

As soon as he won I was concerned. The R party has hated SS since FDR and Medicare was added to their enemy list. The outrage of the people made harming these programs we paid for all our working lives was the 3rd rail. I think this toady Congress and Supreme Court have grounded out the 3rd rail so it is safe to touch.

I wonder if those old MAGAt snowbirds in Florida are beginning to see a light in the tunnel, realizing it's a 100mph freight train.

[purrmaid]

54. Major Kong

I wonder if those old MAGAt snowbirds in Florida are beginning to see a light in the tunnel, realizing it's a 100mph freight train.

Eventually they will. I hope most of them ride that bomb all the way down, like Major Kong, Ground Zero, to the end. The rest are going to cry piteously, like the Wicked Witch of the West.

[Tree Lady]

55. Its a 1/4 of our income and would

completely change our lives. We would barely afford bills and zero extra.

But hard to believe there wouldn't be riots in the streets, children in 30's and 40's would be helping parents, leaving parents of gen z not able to help them.

[BBbats]

57. Riots in the street......

Gives them the excuse to enact Martial Law.
And the current Military leadership ( I've stated this so many times) will not hesitate to turn our Military on a civilian population.
Hegseth is itching to do it!

[CountAllVotes]

60. I will sell the house I own and move

Long gone.

To the EU I go!

Farewell to the sh*thole country the USA has become overnight.

I likely won't live a whole lot longer anyway, but that is my reality.

Others have long lives ahead of them. is the matter with these greed driven ghouls?

The MAGA freaks HATE the American people. Hate and greed will find them at some point in their sick lives.

Sad reality.

[Hekate]

62. Hang in there 💕

[CTyankee]

63. Thanks. Now I know what it is like to feel old and fragile. It's not a good place to be in.

[Hekate]

65. Yeah -- us, too

Hubby just turned 78 and I’ll join him in another few months.