Thompson, O’Malley warn of threats to Social Security at Napa town hall
Special content from the Napa County Times
“When I say, ‘hands off,’ you say ‘Social Security!’” Martin O’Malley, former Maryland governor and commissioner of the Social Security Administration, led nearly 100 attendees in a chant at a town hall meeting Wednesday afternoon in Napa County.
O’Malley joined Rep. Mike Thompson at Crosswalk Community Church for a forum aimed at easing concerns about the Trump administration’s handling of Social Security and pushing back against what they called misinformation and threats to privatize the program.
“I know people are worried about this. I know people count on Social Security, and I know how important it is for your retirement security,” Thompson told the crowd.
Currently, 73 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, according to O’Malley. In Napa County alone, Thompson said, 28,000 people collect Social Security checks each month, bringing about $54.7 million into the local economy.
“You can’t take $55 million a month out of Napa County and make it painless,” Thompson said. “Those are dollars spent across the economy.”
Thompson and O’Malley warned that staffing cuts, office closures and growing backlogs within the Social Security Administration are part of a broader effort to weaken public confidence in the agency, making it easier to justify privatization. Thompson said such a move could put recipients at risk of losing benefits during periods of economic instability.
O’Malley sought to debunk what he called common myths about the agency — starting with the claim that Social Security is going bankrupt because it’s a Ponzi scheme.
“Not true,” O’Malley said. “Social Security is a pay-as-you-go program.” Last year, the agency paid out $1.4 trillion in benefits, funded by $1.3 trillion in payroll taxes that working Americans paid into it, with the remaining balance drawn from the program’s $2.7 trillion reserve.
O’Malley noted that Social Security is the only federal agency with a $2.7 trillion reserve — a factor, he suggested, that makes it an attractive target for political attacks.
He also disputed claims that the program is riddled with fraud or inefficiency, pointing out that less than half of 1% of payouts are improper payments.
O’Malley said it is also a myth that undocumented workers are “milking” Social Security or contributing to bankruptcy of the program. He said that despite being prohibited from ever receiving benefits, undocumented workers contribute an estimated $25 billion into Social Security every year.
He criticized recent staff reductions at the agency, saying Trump-era policies and private-sector allies like Elon Musk have driven staffing to a 50-year low. The agency has lost 7,000 employees and is projected to lose another 3,000, contributing to longer wait times and backlogs, he said.
If staffing declines continue, O’Malley warned, the agency could face benefit interruptions for the first time in its 90-year history.
“I’ve never hoped to be wrong about something so much in my life,” O’Malley said, adding that more Americans now die waiting for disability determinations than at any point in the program’s history.
During a question-and-answer session, audience members raised concerns about the future stability of Social Security, how to protect their personal information, and what happens to unused benefits after recipients die.
While much depends on congressional action, O’Malley urged citizens to stay engaged.
“You have the highest title in the land — you are citizens,” he said. “Make sure your voice is heard to defend Social Security.”
