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Bernie Sanders: “Social Security now is grossly understaffed.”

Featuring: Bernie Sanders, Independent | U.S. Senate, Vermont

Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall

Published February 26, 2025 | Video Starts at 1:02:53

Now, anybody who has called a Social Security office in Vermont or anyplace else understands that Social Security now is grossly understaffed. They're not responding in a timely manner to the concerns that people have to cut benefits, to cut staffing would be an absolute outrage. (1:02:53–1:02:57)

CLAIM

Asserts that Social Security is currently understaffed.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Bernie Sanders

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“He has usurped, tried to usurp the power of the Congress by negating Legislation, agencies and appropriations that Congress had authorized.”
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“Trump lost the election in 2020.”
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“Climate change, despite what Trump says, is not a hoax.”
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“Trump is doing, is turning his back on 250 years of American history, where we led the world.”
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“They're going to make massive cuts, over $800 billion to Medicaid, cuts to education, cuts to housing, cuts to the needs of our veterans.”
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“Rally the American people to make sure that [Trump] does not slash Medicaid or Medicare or Social Security.”
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“There are 160,000 Vermonters who are enrolled in Medicaid.”
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“Two out of three people who are in a nursing home get their support from Medicaid.”
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“One third of our people [in Vermont] do that [utilize a community health center], and 32 million people do it nationally.”
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“If there were the kinds of cuts that Trump wanted from Medicaid, it would be an absolute disaster.”
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“I think their long term plan is to cripple and underfund the VA and then move to the privatization of the VA.”
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“We remain the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all people as a human right.”
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“We're spending twice as much per person on health care so that the drug companies and the insurance companies can make huge profits.”
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“Trump has said over and over again he's not going to cut Social Security. Between you and me, I don't believe him.”
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“Apparently there is an effort now through Doge, and Doge, as you all know, is Musk's group that's running all over the government, that…”
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“If you understaff [government services], you underfund them, people say, hey, to help with Social Security, let's privatize it.”
Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 1:03:17-1:03:24
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Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 1:05:15-1:05:23
“We should be talking about expanding [Social Security]. And I got a bill that we're going to be introducing this week on that.”
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“The agency that has the most waste, fraud and abuse, it is an agency which got some $900 billion more than any other agency that is the…”
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“If you're on Medicare, you're not going to pay more than $35 a month for insulin.”
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“Some of the largest manufacturers of asthma inhaler reduce their prices to $35.”
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Vermont Congressional Delegation Telephone Town Town Hall | Uploaded February 26, 2025 | 1:15:11-1:15:20
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