‘This is not right!’ Elderly woman explodes at GOP senator over Social Security cuts

The most tenured Senate Republican recently held a town hall in his solidly red state, and was confronted by angry constituents upset with his support of President Donald Trump’s most controversial actions.Iowa Starting Line reported that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) faced a combative crowd in Hampton, Iowa on Friday. The outlet posted videos of attendees grilling the Hawkeye State’s senior U.S. senator over various topics, though many were primarily concerned about Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its steep cuts to multiple federal agencies.In one exchange, an elderly woman questioned Grassley about his support of DOGE’s cuts to Social Security offices and staff. According to DOGE’s “wall of receipts,” leases on nearly two dozen Social Security offices across the country are not being renewed. Iowa Starting Line posted the video of the woman’s question, in which she explained her concern over the mass firings within the Social Security Administration (SSA). READ MORE: ‘You work for us not Trump!’ Protesters met with silence from Alaska U.S. senator”That is not right!” The woman told Grassley. “We don’t want people to call on the phone to change their direct deposit. Go to a local office. Try to get an appointment at a local office! Right now you’re waiting a month. And were going to cut more staff? This is not right, and we do not want to see Social Security privatized.”Grassley pushed back on constituents’ arguments that DOGE is violating the law, and said that Musk’s effort is similar to what he had seen under two Democratic presidents during his time in the U.S. Senate. He noted that former President Bill Clinton once gave a speech in which he said: “The era of big government is over.” Grassley also quoted former President Barack Obama, who had pledged in 2011 to root out “waste, fraud and abuse” in federal agencies. However, the crowd audibly disagreed.”You don’t find [waste, fraud and abuse] by just saying, ‘OK, I’m gonna cut off your funding.’ That’s no way of finding fraud,” one constituent said, to loud applause.The Hampton town hall was the latest of Grassley’s stops across Iowa in a tour of all 99 counties. Earlier this week, local ABC affiliate KCRG reported that a town hall in Dysart was also packed full of angry constituents who voiced concerns about the Trump administration and DOGE. Grassley acknowledged at the end of the town hall that “there were a lot of tough questions” and that “a lot of people are mad about what’s going on in the Trump administration.”READ MORE: ‘Slap in the face’: Pro-Trump Republican slams Trump’s closure of local Social Security officeWatch the video below, or by clicking this link.
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