City Desk
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Published on: August 06, 2025
Social Security expert Alex Lawson says the program is particularly efficient, operating on administrative costs of less than 1%. (Adobe Stock)
By Kathleen Shannon
A Montana road show launches Monday to commemorate 90 years of the U.S. Social Security program and to warn of threats to the benefits it provides.
A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities showed the Trump administration cut 13% of Social Security Administration staff, or more than 7,000 workers, meaning remaining staff members will each be responsible for nearly 1,500 beneficiaries.
Alex Lawson, executive director of the advocacy group Social Security Works, said it is an unprecedented danger.
"For 90 years, through war and peace, through boom and bust, through pandemic and health, Social Security has never missed a single payment until now," Lawson pointed out.
The road show, hosted by Big Sky 55+ and featuring Lawson, will stop in 10 Montana communities. It starts with Lewistown on Aug. 11 and ends with Billings on Aug. 14, the anniversary of the Social Security Act.
More than 250,000 Montanans receive Social Security benefits, according to Big Sky 55+ and the program added $4.5 billion to the state’s economy in 2023. Lawson emphasized Social Security is not a gift, it is money people have paid over the span of their working lives.
"The thing that the Republican administration is doing right now is stealing our benefits," Lawson contended. "And the effects in Montana will be amplified enormously because of how rural the state is."
He added rural communities are home to more aging Americans who rely on Social Security, and those people would have to travel further if a Social Security office closed.
Lawson advised people to help their communities prepare, especially those who may be less internet-savvy.
"Make sure that you look at your bank statements, know when your benefits are deposited, and how much your benefit deposit is for," Lawson recommended. "That's going to be critical."
He suggested Montanans immediately contact their representatives if there’s even a slight disruption to their pay.
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