CHICAGO (WGN) – Former President Joe Biden will be in Chicago on Tuesday to speak at the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled in an effort to rally bipartisan support for Social Security.
Biden is listed as the headliner for the event, which will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile Hotel.
While event organizers had billed this as Biden’s first public address since leaving office, a Biden spokeswoman told the Chicago Sun-Times that Biden has “been public for some time.” According to the Sun-Times, he gave remarks at an event for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers last week and also spoke at a National High School Model United Nations conference in New York last month.
Either way, the former president’s address in Chicago on Tuesday comes at a crucial time. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern that Trump administration efforts to reduce the federal workforce will negatively impact those who rely on Social Security.
“We are deeply honored President Biden is making his first public appearance at ACRD’s sold-out conference,” Rachel Buck, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement. “As bipartisan leaders have long agreed, Americans who retire after paying into Social Security their whole lives deserve the vital support and caring services they receive. As a result, we are thrilled the president will be joining us to discuss how we can work together for a stable and successful future for Social Security.”
Also planned to attend are former Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Martin O’Malley, who previously served as Maryland’s governor and as commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
It’s typically the tradition for immediate past presidents to avoid speaking publicly so soon after leaving the White House. But Trump has frequently brought up Biden’s name, claiming he’s to blame for the nation’s problems. And upon returning to the White House, Trump almost immediately began slashing the government workforce, including thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration.
Trump almost immediately began slashing the government workforce upon his return to the White House, including thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration.
Along with a planned layoff of 7,000 workers and controversial plans to impose tighter identity-proofing measures for recipients, the SSA has been sued over a decision to allow Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access individuals’ Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information.
Musk, the world’s richest man and one of Trump’s most influential advisers, has called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
At the same time, Social Security recipients have complained about long call wait times as the agency’s “my Social Security” benefits portal has seen an increase in outages. Individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income, including disabled seniors and low-income adults and children, also reported receiving a notice that said they were “not receiving benefits.”
The agency said the notice was a mistake. And the White House has vowed that it would not cut Social Security benefits, saying any changes are intended to reduce waste and fraud.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.