Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has announced new legislation aimed at safeguarding Social Security, responding to recent service cuts and strained resources that have affected seniors across his state.
The new bill comes as the Social Security trust fund approaches possible depletion and as Congress faces mounting pressure to address benefit sustainability and service accessibility for over 60 million beneficiaries nationwide.
Why It Matters
Social Security functions as a cornerstone of retirement security for Americans, but recent projections estimate the program’s primary trust fund could be exhausted by 2033, which would trigger a 23 percent reduction in benefit payments unless Congress acts to restore solvency.
Meanwhile, staffing cuts and operational challenges have put additional strain on beneficiary services, including for the 203,000 seniors in New York’s Southern Tier who collectively receive over $330 million in monthly payments.
The threat of reduced access, longer wait times, and potential office closures has heightened concerns about retirees’ ability to obtain earned benefits efficiently and securely.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the U.S. Capitol on July 29, 2025.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the U.S. Capitol on July 29, 2025.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
What To Know
The bill introduced by Schumer, a Democrat from New York, is called The Keep Billionaires out of Social Security Act, and would direct resources to enhance and modernize the Social Security system.
The legislation seeks to keep local field offices open, hire additional staff, reduce delays, improve data security, and ensure all seniors have access to the benefits they have earned.
“The idea is to counteract the steady decline in staffing while the number of beneficiaries continues to rise, especially in the Southern Tier states,” Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek.
Schumer has publicly criticized prior staff reductions and office closures under the Trump administration and called for increased federal support to counteract declining service levels.
“‘DOGE’ has already fired thousands of Social Security workers, and seniors are stuck with long wait times, overwhelmed phone lines, and websites that keep crashing. It’s hitting local Social Security offices in the Southern Tier and Upstate NY, too, where we have seen nearly all local offices lose workers, with some losing more than a quarter of staff,” Schumer said in a statement.
“If no one can take your call, if the website keeps crashing, if they fire the staff that processes your claims, if they make it impossible for you to get the help you need, that’s a cut to your Social Security benefits, and I won’t stand for it.”
There have been many other changes to Social Security this year.
All Social Security beneficiaries earned a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2025, an increase affecting more than 72.5 million Americans. This adjustment raises the average monthly retirement benefit and accounts for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
The Social Security Fairness Act, also signed into law in early 2025, eliminated provisions that reduced benefits for public servants with pensions from non-covered work.
Approximately 3.1 million beneficiaries have received increased payments retroactive to January 2024. These updates particularly benefit teachers, police officers, and federal employees previously impacted by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset.
The Social Security trust fund also increasingly remains under strain. If Congress does not approve sustained funding or revenue-raising measures, such as increasing taxes on higher earners, benefits for retirees and their families could be automatically reduced once reserves are depleted.
What People Are Saying
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a statement: “We need to invest and protect Social Security. That is why I am announcing that I will be pushing new legislation with Senate Democrats to reverse these Trump cuts, hire more workers, stop local offices from closing, and make Social Security more efficient for our seniors. We need to fix Social Security and make it easier for seniors in the Southern Tier to get their benefits, not cut the system down to the bone. Our seniors worked hard their whole lives for their Social Security benefits, and we are going to make sure it is protected, not cut.”
Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “In the short term, increasing staffing would almost certainly help cut down wait times since more hands would be on deck to handle claims and questions. The tech investment would speed up modernization efforts, making it easier for people to navigate their benefits online and through updated systems.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “This is the latest development in an ongoing debate between the Social Security Administration and a select group of Senators who are challenging the program’s claims of reduced wait times and improved customer service…It’s hard to see this legislation going far with the current majority appetite for slashing most government services through decreased administrative costs, but if there is some truth to recipients facing increased difficulties receiving assistance, it’s possible this issue could take on more prominence over time.”
What Happens Next
Senate Democrats plan to formally introduce the Social Security enhancement legislation in September. If passed, the bill would prevent office closures, hire additional staff, and improve both efficiency and beneficiary service.
However, analysts say the Democrats have a minimal chance of moving the bill forward.
“Odds aren’t great,” Thompson said. “Washington is essentially gridlocked right now, and this runs counter to the current administration’s ideology. Democrats don’t have the votes to push it through on their own. The only real shot is if Republicans can be convinced it was their idea in the first place. Then it might have a chance.”
As the September deadline for new legislation approaches, bipartisan negotiations are expected to intensify alongside the ongoing debate over how to ensure Social Security’s long-term financial health.
“This is classic opposition party playbook: propose something that sounds reasonable, watch Republicans vote against it, then use that in the next election cycle,” Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek.
“‘They voted against protecting your Social Security benefits’ writes itself as a campaign ad, doesn’t it?”