Tina Smith: “I rise today to call out the threat that this Republican budget and the Trump administration poses to Social Security.…”

“I rise today to call out the threat that this Republican budget and the Trump administration poses to Social Security. President Trump and Elon Musk's ``move fast and break things'' mentality is breaking Social Security, and it is obvious that they intend to dismantle Social Security, which will hurt the millions of Americans that rely on it, that count on it, including more than 1 million Minnesotans. Now one thing I have learned over the last 70-some-plus days is to believe these guys when they tell us what they mean to do. So when Musk recently called Social Security ``the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,'' I am sure that he meant it. When he said entitlement spending is ``the big one to eliminate,'' I believe him. Then, you have Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who recently said that if his 94-year-old mother-in-law happened to not receive her Social Security check 1 month, she would just wait for the next one. Well, I have news for Secretary Lutnik. When people don't get their Social Security checks, they aren't just waiting for their next check; they could be waiting for their next meal. Secretary Lutnik is clearly not in touch with the reality that 22 million Americans, including more than 16 million seniors, would be living in poverty were it not for Social Security. They don't have millions sitting in a bank account somewhere. They have a food shelf visit or missed rent or rationing their prescription medication ahead of them.…”