Washington, D.C. — The Trump administration is preparing a regulatory proposal that could represent the largest Social Security disability benefit cut in history. The expected changes would make it significantly harder for Americans, especially older adults, to qualify for disability benefits, with devastating economic and health consequences.
A new analysis from the Center for American Progress details how the administration’s proposal would alter the process by which the Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates disability claims. Specifically, it would:
- Make it even harder for disabled Americans—particularly those over age 50—to qualify for benefits they need to survive, in a system that is already too burdensome and difficult to access.
- Reduce Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) eligibility for new claimants by as much as 20 percent overall and up to 30 percent for older adults, according to Urban Institute estimates.
- Compound the impact of recent Medicare and Medicaid cuts made by the Trump administration’s Big “Beautiful” Bill.
- Mirror actions taken by the Reagan administration that terminated benefits for hundreds of thousands of Americans, more than 21,000 of whom died.
“These are deliberate cuts that would strip away a lifeline for too many Americans,” said Mia Ives-Rublee, senior director for the Disability Justice Initiative at CAP and co-author of the analysis. “The Trump administration is trying to rewrite the rules so fewer people qualify for the disability benefits they need. If the president breaks his promise and alters Social Security, thousands of disabled people, particularly disabled older adults, will pay the steepest of prices.”
Read the column: “The Trump Administration’s Plans To Covertly Cut Social Security Disability Benefits” by Mia Ives-Rublee and Molly Weston Williamson.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Christian Unkenholz at [email protected].