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Tallahassee protesters rally to keep their Social Security benefits and call out U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn

A Black man at a podium, holding a bullhorn, surrounded by protesters holding signs
Margie Menzel
/
WFSU Public Media
Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor leads a rally outside Tallahassee's Social Security office

About 150 people rallied at the Social Security office in Tallahassee yesterday (Monday). They’re worried the Trump Administration could be targeting their monthly benefits. The rally comes in the wake of a statement by Elon Musk, who is advising President Donald Trump. Musk recently called Social Security a Ponzi scheme.

Both Trump and Musk say there are massive amounts of fraud in what they call “entitlements” -- such as Social Security.

But Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor, leading Monday’s rally, flatly rejected the term “entitlements.” He says Social Security is for people who have worked.

“And I want y’all to know this ain’t about red party or blue," he said. "This issue is about green - our money.”

Proctor says he’s also concerned about Social Security Administration employees who were offered incentives to leave or could be laid off under Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

“And when you lay off the workers in Social Security, you destabilize the scaffolding and the infrastructure that undergirds our lives," he said. "And we need for monies to come to us as we have paid in monies from every paycheck. We done done our part. It’s time for the government to live up to the social contract and do their part.”

Retirees nationwide are confronting their local members of Congress about the possibility of cuts to their Social Security.

Protestors in Tallahassee called out Panama City Republican Congressman Neal Dunn, who represents Leon County. They say he hasn’t done enough to stand up for Social Security. In a written statement, Dunn said he’s committed to protecting Social Security, but he believes there’s fraud in the system that warrants investigation.

Follow @MargieMenzel

Margie Menzel covers local and state government for WFSU News. She has also worked at the News Service of Florida and Gannett News Service. She earned her B.A. in history at Vanderbilt University and her M.S. in journalism at Florida A&M University.