Amid widespread uncertainty about the future of Social Security, Gov. Janet Mills said rural Mainers will face the brunt of any cuts to staffing and services or office closures.
The Trump administration is eyeing reductions to certain phone services and has suggested that the Social Security Administration may cut large numbers of agency staff, or close some field offices.
One-quarter of Mainers receive Social Security, and Mills said the proportion is even higher in Maine's most rural counties.
"Cuts to Social Security staff, services and offices would force many Maine people to drive for hours to visit in person offices and fix problems with their benefits, and then stand in line outside those offices," Mills said in her weekly radio address.
"To me this is just plain wrong. The government shouldn't be making it harder for seniors to access critical benefits they've earned over a lifetime of working," Mills added.
The Social Security office in Presque Isle was initially on a posted list of government buildings in Maine targeted for closure by the Trump administration. But that list has since been taken down. And Social Security officials say the agency hasn't announced any formal closures.
"SSA is committed to providing service where people need help and our local field offices are no exception,” Lee Dudek, acting Social Security administrator, said in a recent statement. “We have not permanently closed any local field offices this year."
