The Social Security Administration closed its office on Main Street in Poughkeepsie at the end of last month, citing temporary renovations. City officials and lawmakers like Congressman Pat Ryan, however, aren’t buying it – they worry the office could close for good, especially as the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency move to cut staffing across federal agencies.
Ryan, a Democrat from the 18th district, held a press conference at Poughkeepsie City Hall Wednesday.
“This is a real local example of what chaos and disfunction, and I would also argue some cruelty, does to our community here in Poughkeepsie and across the Hudson Valley," said Ryan.
Musk has claimed, without evidence, that there is widespread fraud within the SSA, and DOGE has reportedly been trying to access personal records at the agency. The acting head of the SSA, Michelle King, resigned Sunday after reportedly clashing with Musk on the subject.
Multiple Social Security offices across the Hudson Valley have shuttered in recent years. Ryan says the Kingston office “temporarily” closed years ago and never reopened. Newburgh’s office closed last summer. A West Nyack office that closed for renovations around the same time is still closed, according to the SSA’s website. The hearing office in White Plains is also reportedly set to close. The SSA did not return a request for comment on any of these locations.
Residents can apply for and manage their benefits on the SSA website — but not everyone is computer literate, and seniors especially struggle. Poughkeepsie resident Ernest Robinson says he visits the Main Street location about twice a year, and only found out about the closure through a sign on the front door.
“It’s not like they sent out a letter or an email," Robinson laughs. "You just happened to hear it either on the news or through word of mouth or if you’re in the area and you see the sign on the door and say, ‘Wow, when did this happen? And why?’”
Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers says city residents are being redirected to the Social Security offices in Peekskill and Middletown, a roughly 50-minute drive. Flowers and Ryan say they’ve been told the SSA may open a temporary office with limited service in Poughkeepsie while renovations are under way, but they have no idea where or when.
“We need to get those clear answers because people are in fear of what is happening with the services that they have access to," says Flowers.
“We have asked multiple times in calls, in formal letters, including to the — well, the now recently-departed, but who was the acting head of Social Security — for details and information that we can share with our constituents about what this closure in Poughkeepsie means, and the response back was pathetic," says Ryan. "I shouldn’t laugh, but they literally, in their official response to us, they said people can fax. That was their solution: ‘You can fax us.’”
President Trump has said his cost-cutting measures won’t impact Social Security or Medicare benefits. Ryan maintains there has long been discussion among some House Republicans to make changes to both, including raising the retirement age. He called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on his “Protecting Social Security Act,” which would block any attempts at cuts and require there to be a Social Security office in every county.
New York State Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson, a Democrat, says he wants to stress to Washington that Social Security is not a charity or a waste of money.
“It’s not a handout," says Jacobson. "It is a fulfillment of a promise, because it’s a contract with the American people — the workers who have put money into this their whole lives.”
Ryan says residents can contact his office, the city, or the Dutchess County Office for the Aging if they’re having trouble navigating their benefits and the SSA.
