(File Photo: Source for Photo: This Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, photo shows a Social Security card in Tigard, Ore. Social Security checks to increase by 5.9%, as inflation fuels largest COLA for retirees in nearly 40 years (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvanians over age 50 are voicing concerns about the Department of Government Efficiency plans to cut seven thousand jobs from the U-S Social Security Administration – as part of its efforts to shrink the federal government and curb waste and fraud. More than one in five Pennsylvanians get monthly Social Security payments, according to AARP. That’s almost 3 million people. Nora Dowd Eisenhower with AARP Pennsylvania says all the changes have left many beneficiaries confused and worried about potential office closures, employee layoffs and reduced services. Social Security benefits contribute almost 63 billion dollars a year to Pennsylvania’s economy through retirement, survivors and disability payments, according to AARP – all of which boost consumer spending, business sales, and job creation across the state.