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Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) held a seniors’ forum this morning at Fox Run Senior Living to highlight the importance of protecting Social Security. Hundreds of seniors gathered to express their anger, anxiety, and fears about cuts to Social Security.

“Social Security is a part of the fabric of who America is and how we care for our seniors. Two out of every three retirees rely on Social Security for the majority of their income, and millions of families depend on the program for disability or benefits after the loss of a loved one. But Elon Musk and DOGE have fired 7000 Social Security employees, made it more difficult to call and use the website, continue to make the Social Security Administration less effective, and have threatened to shut it down,” Dingell said. “The Commerce Secretary has said his mother-in-law would be fine if she missed a monthly Social Security check, but the fact is that most Americans wouldn’t be. I will continue to fight in Congress to make sure we keep the promise of Social Security and will continue to look out for the wellbeing of aging Americans and vulnerable populations who need our help.”

There are 2.3 million Social Security beneficiaries in Michigan, including more than 137,000 children. In response to Social Security Administration (SSA) field office closures, Rep. Dingell is co-leading the Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act, which would place a moratorium on the closure of field offices for the rest of the Trump Administration. Rep. Dingell also co-leads the Beneficiary Data Protection Act that would stop DOGE and political appointees from accessing sensitive data systems at SSA. It would also codify SSA data privacy requirements into law, and strengthen oversight and civil penalties for any privacy and disclosure violations of Social Security beneficiaries’ personal information.

View photos from the event here.