A Social Security office in downtown Columbus is one of many that may close under a slew of staffing cuts brought on by the Trump Administration.
The proposed office closure and major staffing cuts to the Social Security Administration were the topics of a Monday morning forum on Columbus' Near East Side, which included U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, a central Ohio Democrat.
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"I don't know everything, but I know I get a Social Security check from like most of the people in the room. And I know it's not a luxury," Beatty said.
Beatty spoke to a room of mostly senior central Ohioans at The Fran Ryan Center off East Broad Street in Columbus.
Beatty and other members of the Democratic caucus held or are holding similar forums throughout the country, shining a spotlight on Social Security as the federal program approaches its 90th anniversary.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law on Aug. 14, 1935, creating the social insurance program designed to pay retired workers a continuing income.
Chanda Wingo, director of the Franklin County Office on Aging, said that today, about one in five Ohio seniors depends on Social Security. Around 250,000 Ohioans over the age of 60 live in Franklin County.
Meanwhile, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has experienced serious staffing cuts. Patti Davis-Sato, secretary-treasurer of The American Federation of Government Employees and a retiree of the SSA, said the agency has lost about 4,000 employees since March. In January, the SSA was at its lowest staffing levels in 50 years, she said.
Davis-Sato said in addition to placing stress on the employees who remain, the cuts mean longer wait times for Social Security recipients.
"The American public is not going to get the service they deserve. They're going to wait longer. People that apply for disability are going to go a year without any kind of income after they become disabled," she said.
She said a 2026 budget for Social Security shows a plan to reduce staff further by cutting another 3,600 employees.
Davis-Sato said she believes the staff reductions and other changes at the SSA are designed to make people angry.
"These are things that are put in place to make it more difficult for you, the customer, and the employee, because they want it to fail," she said.
Beatty encouraged those attending the forum to speak out about the necessity of Social Security and to call other representatives, including Ohio U.S. Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted.
During the event, some attendees shared personal stories about their personal dealings with Social Security or their experiences as caregivers of older adults.
Jynette Hayes, 66, of Columbus walked away from the forum feeling that her questions were answered.
"They're not going to do anything to us as long as we keep fighting, standing up, coming to these forums, vocalizing our rights," Hayes said, adding that she planned to call the social security office when she got home to learn more about her own benefits, which she should be able to start receiving this month.
