4:59Sen. Elizabeth Warren listens to testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell during the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing titled “The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress,” in Dirksen building on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
As the Trump administration claims it is persisting in its mission to minimize waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government through reductions at essential agencies like the Social Security Administration and the Education Department, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is promoting her ongoing investigations, which she asserts are designed to shield millions of Americans from limited access to higher education and retirement benefits.
"We cannot remain passive and allow Trump to misuse his authority by dismantling the programs that assist people in feeling a bit more secure," Warren expressed in an exclusive interview with ABC News. "People elected Democrats to advocate for them, and they do not anticipate us to acquiesce and do nothing."
The Massachusetts Democrat, a former educator and staunch supporter of public education, initiated her Save Our Schools campaign this spring to scrutinize the administration’s efforts to close down the Department of Education. These investigations are examining the Department of Education’s budget cuts, including the reduction of the Federal Student Aid (FSA) office and modifications to the student loan framework.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren listens to testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell during the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing titled “The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress,” in Dirksen building on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Democrats argue that reducing the FSA’s workforce will obstruct low-income Americans’ access to higher education and have urged the agency to reinstate employees essential to its financial aid functions.
In April, Warren launched the Social Security War Room, a unified initiative to counter the administration’s so-called "assault on Americans' Social Security" at the Social Security Administration (SSA), which is responsible for administering retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for over 70 million Americans. Thus far, Warren stated her campaign has worked to reduce wait times for Social Security on the phone and in-person at regional offices.
Warren urged President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency to keep their "hands off" Social Security. She mentioned that her pressure campaign — which included an inspector general review of the agency — has hindered Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano from proceeding with further layoffs after the agency announced plans to reduce its workforce by about 7,000 employees.
Frank Bisignano arrives to his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.Maansi Srivastava/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Warren stated that if Democrats take no action, the Trump administration will "proceed without any opposition."
"There's considerable frustration regarding what Trump and the Republicans are attempting to do to the Social Security Administration," she remarked. "We will resist with all our might."
While Trump has pledged to protect Social Security and Medicare, some actions taken by the administration have sparked apprehensions about possible repercussions on the program — including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s recent remarks that the proposed Trump savings accounts for newborns could serve as a "back door" to initiate the privatization of Social Security. Bessent subsequently retracted those comments.
The Trump administration maintains that its workforce restructuring is part of the president’s efforts to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse and enhance the lives of Americans, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told ABC News. He asserted that the president’s achievements through DOGE are "unquestioned and lawful."
Republicans contend that the SSA modifications will guarantee that fraudsters cannot tamper with retirees’ benefits and will streamline operations by employing artificial intelligence.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
