US ‘made a promise,’ but Social Security cuts could harm Charlotte workers, Dems say
When Nicholas Parr calls the Social Security Administration, it’s already a struggle at times to reach a local office.
Sometimes phone calls are on hold so long the call is transferred out of state, the attorney with the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy told The Charlotte Observer.
“We’ve definitely had issues with suddenly getting rerouted to a field office or a district office in, say, Kentucky or Florida, who just can’t even touch our clients’ files because they’re in the wrong office,” said Parr, whose organization helps low-income residents navigate Social Security.
As the Trump administration shakes up the federal agency, he fears more issues are coming.
Staffing cuts, policy changes and office closures instituted by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” have generated concerns and delays at Social Security offices nationwide, The New York Times reported. Some North Carolina offices could face closure.
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Alma Adams gathered alongside supporters holding signs reading “Hands off Social Security” at a south Charlotte Social Security office as part of a “Day of Action” protesting the Trump administration’s actions.
“What the hell happened to promises made, promises kept?” said the District 12 Democrat, whose district includes much of Mecklenburg County.
Local advocates, workers and clients worry the changes will further strain an already overtaxed system.
“We know from personal experience that this is going to be a disaster for a lot of our clients,” Parr said.
Social Security changes
The Social Security Administration said in a February statement it would look to cut its workforce by about 7,000 employees, out of 57,000 total.
And in March, the agency said it would reinstate a policy to take 100% of a beneficiary’s monthly check if the person was previously overpaid, an error often resulting from Social Security’s own miscalculations, CBS News reported.
DOGE also listed Social Security offices across the country, including four in North Carolina, on a list of federal offices closing down. At the same time, the Social Security Administration said it would require more in-person identity checks from new and existing recipients to prevent fraud.
U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican from Flat Rock, later told McClatchy he’d worked with the Trump administration to remove one of the North Carolina offices from DOGE’s list.
“With our nation’s unsustainable debt, I believe it is prudent to make sure that we are using Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars efficiently and effectively,” Edwards said in March. “Responsibly reducing the federal government’s real estate footprint will help keep taxpayers from footing the bill for unused office space, which is why I introduced the (Federal Use it or Lose it Lease) Act that was signed into law last Congress.”
Charlotte advocates, clients fear worsening system
While none of the Social Security offices on DOGE’s list are in Charlotte, Parr told The Charlotte Observer other offices “having to take calls or take a higher case load” could impact services locally.
“Ultimately, Social Security is one big organization. And if a number of people lose access to their local office, they’re going to have to go somewhere,” he said.
Trump’s cuts aren’t going to help existing issues such as reaching someone on the phone, and service could get especially worse for folks just getting onto Social Security, Parr predicted.
“I think the biggest impact is going to be for people who get sick and suddenly can’t work anymore, because all of a sudden that ability to process new applications, that’s the first thing that’s going to take a hit,” he said.
Parr’s colleague Meeka Clark, a family support and health care advocate, worries about accessibility for her low-income clients who already often struggle navigating the system.
“If we have all of these cuts in Social Security that’s going down through the pipeline, we’re also facing challenges in securing employment and housing,” she said. “And we all know access to housing is a major issue in Charlotte right now.”
Social Security benefits have been a headache lately for Timothy Davis. The 56-year-old has received disability benefits since 2015 due a degenerative bone condition that’s led to multiple surgeries.
For more than a year, he’s faced issues getting a straight answer from the agency about a past overpayment, Davis told the Observer. The confusion led to pauses in benefits, and the ensuing financial hardship forced him to move in with his elderly mother, who was ill at the time and has since died.
“They caused me to have to come back home and put more pressure on my mother who was already going through dialysis and stuff like that,” he said. “... I just feel like the way they went about their business was very unprofessional and unethical.”
Now recovering from his latest medical procedure, Davis wants to utilize Social Security’s Ticket to Work career development program to return to the workforce. But he’s concerned the Trump administration’s policies will further worsen services and put him and others who need their benefits to afford basic necessities at risk.
“I think that it has given them the opportunity to be more corrupt,” he said.
‘Day of Action’ in Charlotte
At Tuesday’s event in Charlotte, Patricia Battle described Social Security as a lifesaver when her husband of 40 years was diagnosed with cancer. The couple drew on their benefits to be able to afford his treatments, she said. And in the years since he died, her benefits and spousal benefits have provided “a stabilized guaranteed income.”
“I cannot afford for my Social Security to be reduced, late or restricted in any way,” she said.
Battle said she’s praying the Trump administration will backtrack on its changes to Social Security to alleviate her concerns about losing benefits.
“I believed that my Social Security would be there for me, because I paid into it,” she said. “America made a promise to its workers that after a lifetime of hard work, they would have the security of a stable retirement. This was the norm.”
Heather Holloway, who has worked for the Social Security Administration for 15 years, spoke Tuesday as a representative of the American Federation of Government Employees union. She said the cuts are exacerbating staffing shortages.
“Social Security has fallen from a 20 year staffing low to a 50 year staffing low. All the while we are serving the most amount of beneficiaries in the history of the American government,” she said.
It’s taking longer to process claims and respond to people, Holloway said, and the agency has sent our erroneous notices about benefits that confuse clients.
“The greatest moral promise this country has made to its citizens is Social Security. For 90 years, we have not missed one payment. And I fear that very soon we will no longer be able to say that,” she said.
This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
