By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Congressman Seth Moulton was in Wakefield this week with a panel of Social Security experts to answer questions from residents about benefits and services.
In welcoming the roughly 30 residents in attendance from around the district to the John J. McCarthy Senior Center, Moulton staffer Danielle Leahy of Wakefield announced that the event would not be political but would focus on answering questions related to Social Security. However that did not prevent the Democratic congressman from insisting that Social Security was “under attack” by the current Republican administration in Washington. He said that 26 field offices were being closed around the country, making it harder to get questions answered and problems fixed.
The panel included Barbara Mountain, the National Director of Business Development for Doherty, Cella, Keane LLP, a Social Security disability law firm that assists individuals in obtaining benefits; Christopher Doherty a partner at the same law firm; and David Camp, CEO of the National Organization of Social Security Representatives.
Mountain called Social Security “a vitally important program” that enjoys “bipartisan support.” While expressing concern about current changes, she said that she was optimistic about Social Security’s future. “I think we’re going to be OK. We just have to weather the storm right now and make sure that we’re pushing for the right changes.”
Doherty added that the current reductions in force at Social Security offices are coinciding with more and more people from the baby boom generation seeking services, leading to “a lot of frustration.”
Camp said that Social Security will need some changes to keep it solvent, but called it “a brilliantly designed, intergenerational support program.”
Mountain agreed, noting that people working today are paying for those receiving benefits.
“We need to have more people working than receiving,” she said. “Now we have more people receiving than paying in.” She observed that once the current bubble of baby boom claimants passes, “We’ll be fine.”
Moulton noted that he is the cosponsor with Congressman John Larson of Connecticut of the Social Security 2100 Act, a bill that would make Social Security solvent well into the future. He said that only minor changes are needed to make the program solvent. The problem, he said, is that when you try to make even minor changes you get accused of “cutting benefits.”
Moulton said that he also supports changes to the Social Security “cap” that would result in higher earners paying more into the system.
“It’s reasonable to ask wealthier citizens to contribute more to this important program,” he said.
Camp talked about the need to maintain a level of skilled people at regional Social Security offices to handle individual cases. He also insisted that Social Security needs sufficient funding to modernize its technology. As it is, he said, any resources for modernization are used up warding off cyber attacks and protecting the personal data of recipients.
In response to a question, Moulton said that he was worried about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) accessing personal information.
“I have tremendous concerns about this,” he said. “We don’t know where this information is going.”
Moulton called the Social Security 2100 Act “the best compromise out there. It will be a mess if we don’t fix this.”
In the meantime, Moulton assured those in attendance that his office could connect them with any help they may need.
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