Letitia James Calls Out Donald Trump Over Social Security: 'Shameful'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Newsweek

Published Mar 20, 2025 at 6:00 AM EDT


New York State Attorney General Letitia James has taken aim at President Donald Trump over recently announced changes to the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, James posted: "Millions of vulnerable Americans, including New Yorkers, depend on the Social Security benefits they deserve. Trump's new policies to close offices and limit phone support are going to prevent people from accessing the benefits they need. It's shameful." Newsweek has emailed the Trump administration for comment on James's remarks, and contacted the attorney general by email.

Why It Matters

The attorney general's comments relate to an announcement earlier this week that, starting March 31, benefit claimants will no longer have the option to verify their identity with the SSA or change their direct deposit information over the phone. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees are working to cut federal costs at the SSA and other government departments.

It is also not the first time James has taken on President Trump and his allies in office. She is also part of an ongoing lawsuit with 18 other state attorneys general to stop DOGE, which is unofficially headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk, from accessing personal data housed in the Treasury Department.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/letitia-james-donald-trump-social-security-2047656

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Linked in article (Xitter version) -

Link to tweet

NY AG James
@NewYorkStateAG
·
Follow
Millions of vulnerable Americans, including New Yorkers, depend on the social security benefits they deserve.

Trump's new policies to close offices and limit phone support are going to prevent people from accessing the benefits they need.

It's shameful.
washingtonpost.com
Social Security to require millions to make claims in person rather than by phone
The change is expected to create new hardships as Trump and Musk push massive cuts to the agency that serves elderly and disabled Americans.
4:52 PM · Mar 19, 2025

(no Threads version that I could find)

Blue Sky version - https://bsky.app/profile/newyorkstateag.bsky.social/post/3lkr2uy722224

[SupportSanity]

1. Letitia James shouts "shameful" at a bunch of MAGA who we all know have no shame.

Their only reaction to crippling the Social Security Administration is delight.

Crippling Social Security Administration is quite terrible.

But the shame thing really irks me. These people are missing the shame gene.

It's not in their DNA. We see that over and over. Totally shameless.

Is there anything else she could've said?

Or was that just her expressing her exasperation?

[BumRushDaShow]

3. "Is there anything else she could've said? "

Her office is part of NUMEROUS court cases against the administration (i.e., alongside most, if not all of the (D) state AGs + D.C.'s, across the U.S.).

[SupportSanity]

5. Anything besides "shameful" she could've said? Yes....

She could say there is a history of .....
Or she could talk about the ongoing litigation.
I know she's a public figure who has to be non-partisan so she she is limited in what she can say.

I get frustrated when I hear "shameful" any more, it's kind of like saying water is wet. It's defeatist. It puts on the brakes.

When I hear the phrase "It is shameful" instead
I would say "Their shamefulness inspires us to ORGANIZE / PUSH BACK even harder".
Positive / forward movement / unifying.

Sorry, probably just my frustration with all this.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. She is a politician and this is "politician speak"

She often has more "fiery" things to say on her personal social media but tends to play it straight on the "official" accounts.

[flamingdem]

2. Why isn't there more legal pushback against these changes?

At least Leticia says something.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. In this case, they have to "wait" until the directives are actually issued

before filing because a judge will immediately throw the case out excoriating them about the how the actions they are seeking relief from, haven't happened yet (have seen that happen enough times with all the TX crap laws and people suing and getting cases thrown out because the complaint was filed before the laws took effect).

There is a case from some Unions against SSA filed last month (the link shows the latest updates for that) -

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO v. Social Security Administration

(1:25-cv-00596) District Court, D. Maryland]