BALTIMORE – Working people and AFSCME retirees gathered outside a federal court here Friday to demand that Elon Musk keep his hands off their hard-earned Social Security benefits.
Inside the courthouse, a judge held a hearing regarding Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency’s” (DOGE) unprecedented access to the Social Security Administration. The hearing follows a motion for emergency relief filed last week by Democracy Forward on behalf of AFSCME, the Alliance for Retired Americans, and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
If unchecked, Musk and his outfit could access personal and sensitive information on millions of Americans. And that precisely what those gathered outside the courthouse said they don’t want to see happen. They want the legal system to block Musk and DOGE from breaching the Social Security Administration.
“I spent my whole career paying into Social Security and I worked incredibly hard, sometimes risking my own life, to earn these benefits,” said Shandala Richburg, a retired Maryland corrections officer and president of AFSCME Maryland Retiree Chapter 1. “No one elected Elon Musk. I don’t care how rich he is — he has no right to our private data, and to threaten to shut off Social Security for millions of retirees.”
Fellow AFSCME Maryland Retiree Chapter 1 member Agnes Watkins, who used to be a nurse, echoed that sentiment.
“For many of us out here today, Social Security is how we keep a roof over our heads and how we continue keep food on the table in our retirement,” she said. “Many of us aren’t physically able to return to work. If they cut off our Social Security, I’m worried people will lose their homes or worse.”
The demonstration was part of AFSCME’s Get Organized effort. Our mobilizing nationwide to stand up to recent attacks on our hard-earned benefits and public services.