CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN DEMANDS INCREASED SERVICES FOR ORANGE COUNTY SENIORS FOLLOWING CLOSURE OF NEWBURGH SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE

Congressman Pat Ryan Demands Increased Services for Orange County Seniors Following Closure of Newburgh Social Security Office

Speakers raised concerns about accessibility, benefit security, and staffing layoffs impacting SSA services

When the Newburgh office initially closed in July 2024, Ryan penned a letter to Biden SSA Commissioner Martin O'Malley slamming the abandonment of Orange County seniors and introduced the "Protecting Social Security Act"

Ryan's bill prevents future cuts to Social Security benefits, and requires operational Social Security offices in all three NY-18 counties

In the Spring, Ryan successfully rallied the community to save the Poughkeepsie Social Security office after it was slated for closure by DOGE.

NEWBURGH, NY - Today, Congressman Pat Ryan joined Newburgh community members, including Social Security employees, faith leaders, health care providers, elected officials and impacted seniors who are fed up with the lack of Social Security Administration (SSA) presence in Eastern Orange County following the Newburgh office relocation last year.

When the Newburgh SSA office initially closed, Ryan wrote to Biden SSA Commissioner Martin O'Malley slamming the abandonment of Orange County seniors and warning of the harm it would cause the broader community.

As part of his first legislation this Congress, Ryan introduced the "Protecting Social Security Act," which would - in addition to preventing future cuts to folks' benefits - require there to be a fully functioning Social Security office in every NY-18 county, ensuring every Hudson Valley senior has access to high-quality, in person services.

"The Newburgh Social Security office never should have shut its doors - I joined our community in rallying against the closure, because we all knew the damage it would cause. Unfortunately, we're now seeing those harms in real time. Today, as we hear from those impacted, we're doubling down on the fight to get our seniors the access and benefits they deserve. And we'll keep fighting until we get this fixed," said Congressman Pat Ryan."Seniors deserve to feel secure in their retirement - and they deserve a Social Security Administration that helps them access their benefits more easily, not one that puts up additional roadblocks. Our broader Newburgh community is missing out on an essential service, and we owe it to them to demand better. I'm calling on our entire community again to show up for our seniors, and ensure the necessary, increased SSA presence is established and maintained for the sake of seniors in Newburgh and across the Hudson Valley."

"Every day, members of our community - of all ages, classes, walks of life - come to us looking for leadership through dark times," said Bishop Jeffrey Woody. "Caring for the elderly isn't just a religious value. It's definitely not a partisan value. It is a moral imperative, fundamental to who we are as sons, daughters, humans, and Americans. Newburgh seniors are being left behind. We are all called upon to advocate for them, and I am humbled to join our entire community in lifting them up and standing as one."

"I see firsthand every single day how essential it is to provide in person services for our seniors in every corner of Orange County," said Natasha Pretty-Whitney of the Middletown Social Security Office."Folks have earned these benefits, and we have to do all we can to make sure they can access them as easily as possible when they need them most."

"Social Security is a solemn contract between the American people and their government. It is not an entitlement. Social Security is paid to workers who have contributed their whole lives. With all of the internet fraud, we can't expect people to make their most important financial decisions online. We need the Newburgh office reopened, so that recipients can be assured that they will receive their hard-earned benefits. This administration is making it harder for people to get those benefits. I applaud and join Rep. Pat Ryan in this fight," said Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson (D-104).

"Social Security services are absolutely essential, especially for seniors and people with disabilities, in the broader Newburgh community," said Shawn Federighi of Independent Living, Inc, a Newburgh-based consumer-directed, cross-disability service organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities."The physical and financial burden is too much for people to bear--not having a Social Security office in the City Of Newburgh has created a significant barrier, preventing many from accessing their earned benefits. As a facilitated enrollment specialist for people with disabilities and those who are blind, I can tell you for a fact that moving this office has been devastating to the seniors and disabled people in the Hudson Valley I work with every single day. This is especially true in the context of increased threats to Social Security, mass firings, and attacks on other essential programs like Medicaid. These are incredibly difficult times for vulnerable populations--that's why I am speaking out today, and why I am grateful to Congressman Ryan for fighting with us."

"When the office moved, I had to take the shortline bus for $40 to get over to Middletown, but it's a long way from 85 Crystal Run. As I got off the bus there was a large crowd of taxi cabs that were charging 15$-20$ for a ride. I had to pay 65$ for my first trip to the Social Security Office!," said Deborah Danzy, Senior Advocate. "If I don't go to Middletown, I have to go online to get my paperwork, but the website is not something that can be easily navigated for myself and those I know. You have to make a special appointment in advance with the bus service, a huge burden on seniors just trying to access their benefits. Not to mention the fact that many people cannot physically get across the county - they shouldn't have to. An increase in Social security presence in Newburgh isn't just beneficial, it's essential to countless people in our community - we need in-person services here so that we can get out your award letter, get our retirement status, and notice of what is the status of our Medicare. It's not so much taking people over to Middletown but giving people the access to this office. We need to access our own benefits here, with simplicity! I'm proud to stand with my neighbors and Congressman Ryan in demanding a solution here"

Access to Social Security services within seniors' own communities is critical. Many seniors are unable to physically make it to further offices, and with 7 million seniors relying on Social Security for more than 90 percent of their income, this kind of obstacle can serve as a fatal roadblock to accessing benefits. Recent reporting from the Center for American Progress shows that when field offices close, the number of Social Security recipients receiving disability benefits in the area falls by 16 percent.

Congressman Ryan has repeatedly stood up to reductions in care for Hudson Valley seniors, vehemently fighting the closure of the Kingston Social Security Office. Following that closure, and the closure of the Newburgh SSA office, Congressman Ryan introduced the Protecting Social Security Actwhich, along with safeguarding seniors' earned benefits, would ensure that every county in NY-18 has its own Social Security office. In the Spring, Ryan successfully rallied the community to save the Poughkeepsie Social Security office after it was slated for closure by DOGE.

Congressman Ryan has prioritized protecting Social Security and Medicare throughout his time in Congress, repeatedly voting against House Republicans' attempts to cut the benefits, including by blocking Republicans' proposed 20% cut to Social Security in his first year in Congress. Ryan has consistently rallied against Trump and MAGA's domestic spending bill, which cuts more than a trillion dollars from Medicaid and SNAP and rips health care from 17 million Americans. Ryan called the bill a "Big, Ugly Betrayal of his constituents and the American people."

In the face of continued threats to cut Social Security, Congressman Pat Ryan's "Protecting Social Security Act" would guarantee that Social Security benefits for hard-working Americans could not be decreased or taken away. Among other things, the bill:

• Permanently protects Social Security from those seeking to cut benefits, specifically calling out by name former President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, JD Vance, and Rick Scott
• Affirms that Social Security is an earned benefit that Americans have paid into over the course of their lifetime and belongs to those who have worked for it
• Calls out that Social Security benefits have not been expanded in over 50 years
• Notes that nearly 9 out of every 10 people over the age of 65 receive Social Security benefits, that over 6 million children depend on Social Security, and nearly 9 million veterans are beneficiaries, and yet the House Republican Study Committee approved a plan that would increase the retirement age to 69
• Re-establishes a Social Security office in Ulster County, bringing back in-person services to seniors in Ulster who rely on this earned benefit
• Protects Social Security for generations to come by ensuring that if the trust fund become insolvent, emergency funds would immediately be transferred from the Treasury to the Social Security trust funds so that recipients don't see a decrease in benefit payments while Congress devises a solution
• Requires both the Senate and House of Representatives to vote on a permanent funding source, namely, billionaires and corporate monopolies, to fund the Social Security trust fund should it become insolvent

Ulster County has been without a presence from the Social Security Administration for years. Congressman Ryan has utilized his C.A.R.E.S. Van to bring the Social Security Administration back to Ulster for events. Ryan's C.A.R.E.S. Van routinely visits senior centers and Dutchess County Senior Picnics to bring assistance directly to seniors where they're at.

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