Taylor Balkom/The Columbian (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
Clark County resident Anita Fisher often lies awake at night worrying about finances.
She and her husband, Jerry, a retired physician, both worked into their 80s and stashed money for their retirement. Anita Fisher even has a pension from her career as a Clark College history professor. Yet, they find they rely on their Social Security checks to cover their monthly expenses.
The Fishers and others are preparing for the worst-case scenario. About 70 percent of the Fishers’ Social Security payments goes toward a caregiver who comes to their home five days a week to help with preparing meals and other chores. They are looking to cut that back to three days a week.
Anita Fisher, 86, canceled a planned surgery. Jerry Fisher, 88, may delay a procedure to implant a new pacemaker because of concerns about costs. Anita Fisher said they are trying to save as much money as possible in case something happens to their Social Security benefits.
“When you can’t predict what will happen, how can we prepare?” she said.
Uncertain future
Any changes to benefits would require congressional approval, according to the Social Security Administration’s website.
Despite fears about cuts, some recipients may have recently received extra money as the Social Security Administration implemented the Social Security Fairness Act. Through March 4, the agency had paid approximately 1.2 million people more than $7.5 billion in retroactive payments.
The retroactive payments are the result of the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, according to an agency news release. The average retroactive payment was $6,710.
The benefit adjustment was thanks to a law signed in January by former President Joe Biden.
“President (Donald) Trump made it very clear he wanted the Social Security Fairness Act to be implemented as quickly as possible,” Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, said in the news release. “We met that challenge head on and are proudly delivering for the American people.”
During his campaign, Trump voiced support for protecting Social Security. He wrote on social media, “Seniors should not pay tax on Social Security.” On March 11, Trump reiterated that he would not disrupt the program.
But Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team at the Department of Government Efficiency has moved toward shrinking the Social Security Administration.
The Social Security Administration plans to reduce its workforce by up to 12 percent. The agency is operating at a 50-year staffing low. To encourage departures, the agency offered early retirement packages and other financial buyouts, including payments of up to $25,000.
This plan has raised alarms among Social Security officials, who fear it could leave the agency vulnerable to major disruptions.
Left on hold
The Fishers believe they’ve already seen the effects of staff cuts.
In January, they were shocked when both of their Social Security payments arrived $200 smaller with no letter of explanation. They racked their brains to think of a cause. They sold a rental property in 2023, so that couldn’t be it. No other possibility seemed to make sense.
When their February payments arrived, again $200 short, Anita Fisher tried calling the Social Security Administration for assistance. She said she was left on hold every time she called over several days — a possible outcome of the downsized staff, she figured. She never connected with anyone to get her questions answered.
Last week, The Washington Post revealed that the Social Security Administration, under Musk’s team, had considered cutting all phone services.
They have a computer but don’t use it much. They don’t have a car. The steep driveway at their house makes it hard for the two, who both use walkers, to even hail an Uber to visit a Social Security office in person.
These days, Anita Fisher finds her mind wandering to the uncertainty about what lies ahead. On a recent afternoon, she and her husband sat at their dining room table to play a game of Scrabble. She carefully arranged tiles to spell out the word “quest.” Their home is packed with memorabilia they collected during their travels, the walls full of family photos. She said she often wonders what will become of these treasures if they have to downsize.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m really scared,” Anita Fisher said. “It’s just so frightening not knowing what is going to happen. My mind goes to the worst.”
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
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