As U.S. President Donald Trump’s momentary chief of the Social Safety Administration threatened to close down the company over an unfavorable courtroom ruling on Friday, the billionaire commerce secretary got here below fireplace for suggesting that solely “fraudsters” will complain in the event that they don’t get their earned advantages.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared on All-In — a podcast hosted by “4 billionaire besties” — on Thursday. A short clip of his interview, which lasted an hour and 45 minutes, made the rounds on social media Friday.
Lutnick instructed two of the hosts that if the SSA didn’t ship out checks this month, his 94-year-old mother-in-law “wouldn’t name and complain,” however “a fraudster all the time makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling, and complaining.”
BREAKING: In a surprising second, Trump Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick says his 94-year outdated mother-in-law would not complain if her Social Safety test did not arrive, and solely loud “fraudsters” would complain about it. That is vile.pic.twitter.com/JSmgUZncM4
— Actually American
(@ReallyAmerican1) March 21, 2025
Critics had been fast to level out Lutnick’s wealth. As Extra Excellent Union posted, “His web value is estimated at $2 billion.”
Richard Phillips, pensions and tax coverage director for U.S. Senate Committee on Well being, Schooling, Labor, and Pensions Rating Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), called the commerce secretary’s feedback “shameful.”
“Almost 40% of seniors depend on Social Safety for a majority of their earnings and almost 1 in 7 depend on it for greater than 90% of their earnings,” in line with Phillips. “These individuals would name resulting from lacking checks as a result of their very survival will depend on it.”
The watchdog group Public Citizen equally pushed again on social media, saying: “ who really makes the loudest noise? Somebody who will depend on Social Safety to purchase groceries. Somebody who will depend on Social Safety to pay hire. Somebody who will depend on Social Safety to outlive. However billionaires like Howard Lutnick don’t care about these individuals.”
Groundwork Collaborative chief of coverage and advocacy Alex Jacquez said in a press release that “the Trump administration simply instructed seniors that they need to shut up and sit down in the event that they don’t obtain their Social Safety checks on time. The true ‘fraudsters’ are Trump’s out-of-touch billionaire donors and advisers denying seniors their hard-earned advantages to pay for his or her subsequent tax giveaway.”
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Authorities Workers, a union for federal staff, additionally tied Lutnick’s remarks to Republican tax ambitions — in addition to a broader assault on the federal forms by Trump and the de facto chief of his Department of Government Efficiency( DOGE), billionaire Elon Musk.
“First, Elon referred to as Social Safety a ‘Ponzi scheme’ and stated we have to get rid of it,” Kelley stated. “Then DOGE began making an attempt to chop SSA workers. Now Lutnick says ‘don’t complain’ when the funds cease. They’re taking cash from working-class individuals with a view to give it to their wealthy buddies.”
As Widespread Desires reported earlier Friday, performing Social Safety Administration Commissioner Leland Dudek is threatening to close down the company in response to a federal decide’s Thursday order blocking DOGE’s SSA “knowledge seize.” The Washington Submit later revealed that the official “is consulting with company legal professionals and the Justice Division” in regards to the doable shutdown.
Some political observers see the Republican administration’s assaults on the SSA — and the remainder of the federal authorities — as a serious alternative for the Democratic Get together, which has minorities in each chambers of Congress.
“If Dems have any strategic mojo left, they may clip this and play it on a nonstop tv advert loop within the two Florida districts holding particular congressional elections,” Helaine Olen of the American Financial Liberties Venture said in regards to the Lutnick interview. “Seniors will rightly whine when their checks don’t present up.”
Already, some seniors have publicly shared tales of advantages incorrectly shut off since Trump took workplace, and a few congressional Democrats are taking purpose at his administration. Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), a longtime SSA defender who has framed the DOGE assault as a push towards privatization, posted the commerce secretary’s video on social media.
“Trump and Musk’s cuts to the Social Safety Administration might result in the delay, denial, and disruption of your EARNED BENEFITS,” Larson stated Friday. “For 40% of our seniors, Social Safety is the one earnings they’ve. They’ll’t simply wait for his or her subsequent test.”
Additionally responding to the clip, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said, “They’re on the brink of destroy Social Safety. As a result of the billionaires don’t want it. Prepping the bottom right here by shaming individuals who dare complain if their Social Safety test disappears.”
The Social Safety feedback aren’t the one purpose the commerce secretary is going through intense criticism this week. On Wednesday, he told viewers of Fox Information‘ “Jesse Watters Primetime” to purchase inventory in Musk’s electrical automobile maker, Tesla. One watchdog chief famous that Lutnick “conveniently forgot to say his household enterprise empire holds almost $840 million within the firm.”
The nonpartisan Marketing campaign Authorized Heart on Friday filed a grievance with the Workplace of Authorities Ethics and an ethics official on the U.S. Division of Commerce, urging them to analyze Lutnick’s feedback about Tesla inventory — which has been crashing resulting from protests of the corporate ensuing from Musk’s work for the Trump administration.
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