More than 100 people gathered at Lane Community College in Eugene Wednesday for a town hall led by Oregon U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle. The event focused on the state of Social Security under the Trump administration.
President Trump has repeatedly promised that he won’t touch benefits from Social Security, a program with strong bipartisan support. But his administration has pledged to find inefficiencies and fraud in the system, and to cut staffing.
The Trump administration also previously announced it would no longer allow some Social Security recipients to seek benefits or file claims over-the-phone—although it walked back those changes earlier this month.
At Wednesday's event in Eugene, audience members told stories about struggling to access benefits in recent months—sometimes facing hour-long wait times on the phone, long lines in person, or being hung up on when calling. Attendees shared concerns about what could happen to friends and family who rely on their benefits to survive.
Hoyle told the audience if they're struggling with access to services, they should contact her staff for assistance.
"We will help handhold," said Hoyle. "We have been able to get responses from the Social Security offices—although it is getting harder, as again, they are inundated and there is less staff there."
Speaking to reporters before the town hall, Hoyle accused Trump of trying to make Social Security less functional in order to erode its public support.
"The bottom line is the American people are being gaslit," said Hoyle, “as President Trump and Elon Musk are shutting down Social Security offices, firing federal workers and then in their bid to privatize Social Security, telling everyone that somehow this doesn't work.”
In a blog post updated on April 18, the Social Security Administration said no field offices had been permanently closed. But several offices across the country are offering no in-person services until further notice.
Additionally, last month, NPR reported that the Department of Government Efficiency had identified 47 Social Security buildings for potential lease termination. None of the field offices in Oregon were among those listed.
Hoyle was joined at the town hall by her predecessor, retired U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, and Max Richtman, President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
