WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen are speaking out against President Trump and Elon Musk’s attacks on Social Security—including moves to close Littleton’s Social Security office and to fire employees across the country who help answer questions for seniors. Recently, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced that it would move to close and sell the Social Security office in Littleton, NH—the only Social Security office in Northern New Hampshire. Senators Hassan and Shaheen today called on the leaders of the General Services Administration and Social Security Administration to immediately stop any plan to close the Littleton office and stop these attacks on Social Security.
“More than 334,000 Granite Staters, or about one in five, depend on reliably receiving their Social Security benefits to make ends meet and maintain financial security. Closing the Littleton office would harm the well-being of retired workers, veterans, individuals experiencing disabilities, and surviving children and spouses who rely on the services that it provides,” wrote the Senators. “The next closest Social Security office in New Hampshire is almost 100 miles away. Closing the Littleton office would mean cutting off access to Social Security services for Granite Staters or forcing them to drive even further to receive assistance. Neither of which is acceptable nor justifiable.”
“As you should know, Americans in New Hampshire and across the country already face significant delays in getting an in-person appointment with Social Security field offices, and these offices often have a significant backlog of cases,” continued the Senators. “If GSA were in fact looking for efficiencies and cost savings, it would conduct a proper, transparent analysis and develop a plan for providing the uninterrupted delivery of benefits and services while enacting changes. [...] The President has said he won’t cut Social Security, but reckless closures of offices and staffing cuts will have the same effect as cutting these essential benefits for people who are already struggling to get by.”
Click here to see the full letter or see text below:
Dear Acting Administrator Ehikian and Acting Commissioner Dudek:
We are calling on you to immediately cease any plans to close or sell the Social Security office in Littleton, New Hampshire. More than 334,000 Granite Staters, or about one in five, depend on reliably receiving their Social Security benefits to make ends meet and maintain financial security. [1] Closing the Littleton office would harm the well-being of retired workers, veterans, individuals experiencing disabilities, and surviving children and spouses who rely on the services that it provides.
The General Services Administration’s (GSA) plan to close the Littleton, New Hampshire Social Security office[2] is reckless and shows a disregard for the needs of rural America. The Littleton office is the only office that Granite Staters can access in Northern New Hampshire. The office’s staff provide valuable in-person services, including applying for Social Security benefits, managing Social Security records, enrolling for medical insurance, and so much more. The next closest Social Security office in New Hampshire is almost 100 miles away. Closing the Littleton office would mean cutting off access to Social Security services for Granite Staters or forcing them to drive even further to receive assistance. Neither of which is acceptable nor justifiable.
GSA’s assertion that the Littleton site is “non-core” to delivering critical services demonstrates that GSA is out of touch with the struggles that everyday workers and retirees face. The lack of a physical office to serve Northern New Hampshire would make it much more difficult for our constituents to access their earned benefits, something that is unacceptable at any time, but particularly right now as prices are soaring, and more and more people are having difficulty making ends meet.
As you should know, Americans in New Hampshire and across the country already face significant delays in getting an in-person appointment with Social Security field offices, and these offices often have a significant backlog of cases. We also hear frequently from seniors who are unable to use the Social Security Administration’s online systems and who value in-person assistance when navigating the complexity of the Social Security system. Additionally, because of recent reckless and indiscriminate job cuts at the Social Security Administration, [3] wait times for those seeking assistance over the phone has reportedly grown considerably, making the option to seek in-person assistance all the more important. Closing the Littleton office would limit access to services for seniors, delay or disrupt the authorization and delivery of benefits, and understandably cause considerable frustration.
Social Security benefits are a critical lifeline to financial stability for Granite Staters from all walks of life, including a man who committed more than 30 years of his life to serving the people of New Hampshire as a United States Postal worker, a young man whose life was upended by a car accident resulting in a disability, and thousands more. Social Security is not, as one of the President’s closest advisors said recently, a “Ponzi scheme.”[4] Instead, as you well know, Americans pay into the system so that they will have the retirement benefits that they have earned and deserve in their later years. And these hardworking Americans deserve access to quality service and the benefits they are eligible for without long wait times on the phone or long drives.
If GSA were in fact looking for efficiencies and cost savings, it would conduct a proper, transparent analysis and develop a plan for providing the uninterrupted delivery of benefits and services while enacting changes. The Administration’s failure to do so calls into question both its competence and its intentions. The President has said he won’t cut Social Security, but reckless closures of offices and staffing cuts will have the same effect as cutting these essential benefits for people who are already struggling to get by.
Again, we urge you to immediately cease any plans to close or sell the Social Security office in Littleton, New Hampshire and strongly advise you to conduct proper assessments on the impact that any GSA office space reductions would have on delivering critical services to Americans before acting.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
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