U.S. Rep. John Larson, who has spent much of his time in Congress pushing to strengthen Social Security, is sounding an alarm about what he sees as attempts from President Donald Trump's administration to dismantle the program.
In an interview Wednesday, shortly after delivering a fiery speech during a committee meeting that went semi-viral on social media, Larson accused Trump-ally Elon Musk of trying to undermine Social Security with the hopes of eventually privatizing it.
"He looks at that in terms of numbers and not the people that it impacts," said Larson, who represents Connecticut's 1st congressional district and serves as the top Democrat on the U.S. House's Social Security subcommittee. "It's the No. 1 anti-poverty program for the elderly, and it's the No. 1 anti-poverty program for children."
In recent weeks, Trump and Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has moved to cut thousands of jobs in the Social Security Administration and eliminate field offices nationwide.
On Wednesday the Washington Post reported that the Social Security Administration, under pressure from DOGE, was considering cutting phone services through which millions of Americans access their benefits.
Meanwhile, Musk has repeatedly claimed without evidence that officials had found hundreds of million dollars of fraud in the Social Security system and described the program as "the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time" — statements Democrats fear are a pretense for sharp cuts to the program.
Trump has echoed Musk's unfounded statements about fraud, while also promising to "protect "the program.
Bette Marafino, president of the Connecticut Alliance for Retired Americans, said Wednesday she is "horrified" by the Trump administration's rhetoric around Social Security, including baseless claims about long-dead people collecting benefits.
Marafino, 86, recalled her grandmother telling of visits to decrepit poorhouses, where poor Americans, many of them elderly, used to live in the days before Social Security and other safety net programs.
Larson and other House Democrats have sought to compel the Trump administration to turn over documents related to what they call a "hostile takeover of social security." At a meeting Thursday of the House Ways and Means Committee, Larson delivered a loud, passionate speech slamming Musk for declining to appear in front of the committee.
"I'm sure he's a genius and is a very credible person because of the wealth he's accumulated, but that does not put him above the law or the responsibility to come before this committee and this congress," Larson bellowed. "If he's so great, if these plans and all the fraud and abuse he's found are so eminent, why isn't he here explaining it?"
Larson then answered his own question: "Because he's out to privatize Social Security," he said.
A clip from Larson's speech posted Wednesday from the congressman's official X account had more than 100,000 views and 2,000 re-posts as of 5 p.m., and similar clips on X and other platforms had large amounts of engagement as well.
"A top Democratic congressman goes off during a DOGE hearing and calls out Elon for trying to cut Social Security," one political commentator posted on Bluesky, with a clip of Larson's remarks. "More of this please."
That post also had more than 2,000 re-posts as of Wednesday evening, along with dozens of replies praising Larson.
Earlier this week, Democratic senators, including Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, wrote to the Social Security Administration's acting commissioner with concerns about cuts to the agency's workforce.
"As one of the nation’s most popular and effective programs, Social Security provides a foundation of income on which workers can build for their retirement, as well as valuable insurance protection against unexpected hardship," the senators wrote. "By slashing staff and eliminating field offices, fewer Americans will be able to seek assistance during pivotal life events and risk causing further hardship to those in dire circumstances."
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