Social security shake-up: Trump's new move has retirees fuming — here's what you need to know
While US president
Donald Trump
had promised to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid during his campaign last year, but some recent decisions are making retirees nervous about what's next, as per a report.
Federal Hiring Freeze Puts Pressure on Inflation Data Collection
However, after taking office for the second term, Trump put a
freeze on hiring across federal agencies
, including the
Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), the group responsible for tracking important numbers like inflation and jobs, as reported by The Motley Fool.
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Why Accurate Inflation Data Matters for Retirees
Because of this freeze, the BLS is having a harder time gathering accurate data, which is important because inflation numbers directly affect
Social Security's cost-of-living adjustments (COLA)
as these adjustments help make sure benefits keep up with rising prices, according to the report.
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If the
inflation data
is off because it underestimates how much prices are going up,
retirees
could end up with smaller Social Security raises next year, which means their money won't stretch as far, as per the report. On the flip side, if inflation is overestimated, in which case benefits would gain purchasing power because the COLA would be too large, as reported by The Motley Fool. Either way, it's a tough spot because older Americans rely on those COLA increases to cover everyday costs.
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The
Senior Citizens League
, a nonprofit advocacy group, has estimated that 20% of Social Security's buying power has been stripped by insufficient COLAs since 2010, while most retired workers think the last two COLAs were too small, as reported by The Motley Fool.
Donald Trump Fires Top BLS Head After Disappointing Job Numbers
To make things more tense, Trump fired the head of the BLS,
Erika McEntarfer
, right after the agency released disappointing
job numbers in July,
according to the report. The job growth was much lower than expected, and earlier months' numbers were sharply revised downward, as per The Motley Fool.
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Economists Warn of Politicizing Independent Agencies
Trump suggested, without proof, that the lower numbers were politically motivated, and then he fired McEntarfer, according to the report. This move upset many experts who say the BLS has to stay independent and unbiased to keep Americans' trust, as per The Motley Fool.
Many economists have highlighted that these weak job numbers probably have more to do with Trump's own trade policies and tariffs, which have made businesses hesitant to hire, so firing the person in charge because of bad news isn't sitting well with economists or the public, according to the report.
The real concern is that if the government starts interfering with how the BLS reports data, will people trust future numbers? That includes inflation data that directly affects how much Social Security checks increase every year, as reported by The Motley Fool.
FAQs
Has Trump cut Social Security benefits?
No, there haven't been direct cuts. But some of his recent actions are affecting the systems that calculate benefit increases.
Why does inflation data matter to Social Security?
Inflation data determines the annual COLA, which adjusts Social Security benefits to match the rising cost of living.
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