U.S. Rep. Grace Meng held a community listening session with local residents and Queens organizations in Elmhurst Wednesday morning to highlight the “devastating impact” that cuts to the Social Security Administration (SSA) would have on the local community, citing reports that the Trump Administration is planning to slash the agency’s workforce and close field offices across the country.
President Donald Trump has consistently maintained that he will not cut social security, Medicaid or Medicare benefits, stating that he will “always protect” social security payments. However, the Trump Administration has proposed significant cuts to the SSA, including plans to lay off at least 7,000 of the administration’s 57,000-strong workforce.
The Associated Press reported in February that the proposed reduction could affect as much as 50% of the SSA’s workforce. The AP further reported in March that dozens of Social Security field offices are slated to close across the country this year as part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to shrink government spending.
SSA officials pushed back against both reports, stating that there are no plans to close any field offices and dismissing reports of a 50% workforce reduction as “false.”
Wednesday’s community listening session, which drew about 70 seniors to the Elmhurst/Jackson Heights Older Adults Center at 75-01 Broadway, heard from several Queens organizations about the potential consequences that the reported cuts to the SSA would have on beneficiaries.
Although President Trump has pledged not to cut Social Security benefits, critics have warned that proposed reductions to the Social Security Administration’s workforce and services could lead to delays in benefit processing and customer service. In response, the White House has stated that the president remains committed to safeguarding benefits and plans to modernize the program’s administrative systems.
“Democrats care more about illegal immigrants than their own constituents, especially seniors, and their fake concern deceives no one,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement. “President Trump will fiercely protect Social Security, boost seniors’ take-home pay, and drive the Social Security Administration to modernize systems, enhance customer service, and combat fraud.”
In a statement issued after the event, Meng said concern over Social Security payments is “certainly not a fake concern.”
“It hasn’t come out of thin air. It comes as the administration and Congressional Republicans are slashing other vital programs such as healthcare and food assistance, and as the Social Security workforce is being reduced,” Meng said.
During the session, Meng told attendees that she has written to acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek urging him to halt any potential plans to close Social Security field offices in Queens. Meng’s office stated that there are 366,000 Social Security recipients in Queens, including 126,000 recipients in Meng’s congressional district.
Meng said there are no current plans to shut either of the two SSA field offices in her district in Rego Park and Flushing but said she wants the Trump Administration to know “ahead of time” that the community will not accept closures to either office. Gabriel Pedreira, who spoke on behalf of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said one of the two offices will “definitely” close if the funding cuts are implemented.
SSA officials said there are no plans to close any Social Security field offices, including any offices in Queens.
However, according to widespread reports, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) website listed 47 SSA field offices set for closure across the U.S. An SSA spokesperson said at the time that most of the sites were used for for in-person hearings, which are no longer necessary due to the majority of hearings now being held virtually.
Meng emphasized Wednesday that protecting Social Security should not be a political issue, stating that there remains a need to improve the program, even as recently as a few months ago, when former President Joe Biden was still in office.
Meng told the audience she has been working “for many years” on legislation to ensure Social Security recipients living in higher-cost areas, such as New York, receive greater benefits than those residing in regions with lower costs of living. The proposal drew applause from the crowd.
However, Meng said the current focus must shift to preserving the program’s existing structure in light of the Trump Administration’s reported funding cuts.
She also noted that she had urged Dudek to oppose proposed reductions to SSA’s phone services.
Pedreira told Meng that average wait times for SSA phone services have ballooned to “six or seven hours” under the Trump Administration. He said that under the Biden Administration, the AFGE had previously reduced wait times to under 20 minutes.
“It’s completely unacceptable,” Pedreira said. “The reason for that is just that people are not there. They’ve made cuts.”
William Flynn, a representative with Legal Services NYC/Queens, echoed those concerns, stating he had heard frequent reports of SSA phone wait times “getting longer and longer.” Flynn warned that reductions in funding and services may result in delayed or missed benefits for recipients. “People don’t get their benefits,” he said.
SSA officials disputed those characterizations, stating that the average speed to answer calls had improved, dropping from approximately 30 minutes in January to about 14 minutes in May. They also cited a record number of calls to the SSA in 2025 but said internal data still shows overall improvements. According to officials, recent updates—including AI-enabled enhancements and optimization of the agency’s call-back assist feature—have contributed to faster response times under the Trump Administration.
Meng challenged those claims in a statement issued Wednesday evening, stating that “wait times are up.”
Pedreira maintained that the Trump Administration’s proposed funding cuts—reported by multiple national outlets—are already affecting everyday lives. He warned that Social Security recipients may soon face delayed payments.
“We are facing the possibility that people are not going to get their checks on time,” Pedreira said. “That’s not going to happen tomorrow, but we are seeing a real possibility in the next several months that checks will be late.”
Pedreira noted that since its creation in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Social Security program has never missed a payment. However, he warned that current funding conditions make future delays increasingly likely.
Former Community Board 3 Chair Frank Taylor urged attendees to take action and advocate for the program’s protection.
“The best advocate for anyone is themselves,” Taylor said. “Because the best one to know what you need is you, and you deserve everything that this country is supposed to give you.”
Representatives from Queens Community Houses, Center for Independence of the Disabled and the Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly Inc. also spoke at Wednesday’s event, stating that funding cuts would make it difficult for Social Security beneficiaries to speak to a “live person.”
“We believe that any further action from this administration against Social Security could be very detrimental,” said Erik Eitel of the Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly Inc.
Meng said events such as Wednesday’s listening session are crucial methods for ” getting the word out” and putting pressure on the Trump Administration to scale back proposed funding cuts.
“With enough public pushback, sometimes they (the Trump Administration) change their mind. So we really want them to hear the concerns of people on the ground,” Meng told QNS.
She said the event also aims to inform constituents about how important the Social Security program is.
“We just want people to know how important it is,” Meng said. “We want to hear from people. We want them to know the resources that are available to them,” she added, encouraging constituents to call her office.
Meng described Social Security as a “financial lifeline” for hundreds of thousands of Queens residents and stated that any cuts or interruptions to the program would be “devastating” for recipients. She said fighting to protect Social Security will always be a “top priority.”
“We cannot overstate the importance of Social Security to Queens residents and the dire consequences of making it harder for beneficiaries to access their earned benefits,” Meng said.
Meng plans to host other listening sessions across her congressional district, stating that the programs will focus on a variety of topics beyond Social Security, referencing proposed federal cuts to housing, education and other sectors.
“It feels like every hour it’s something different,” Meng said. “We’re just trying to balance everything, so we’re going to be doing more of these programs on different topics.”
