U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) has voiced concerns about a decision by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by billionaire Elon Musk, a co-founder of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, to shutdown certain Social Security offices statewide, including one in Gainesville.
Warnock issued a statement on Friday, Feb. 28, in response to President Donald Trump’s administration’s announcement that five Social Security Administration (SSA) offices will be permanently closed across Georgia. The affected locations include Brunswick, Columbus, Gainesville, Thomasville and Vidalia, marking Georgia as the state with the highest number of SSA office closures.
“For millions of Georgians, Social Security provides a baseline of support and stability,” Warnock said. “It ensures our seniors, who’ve spent decades paying into the program, can afford rent, groceries, and medication. Permanently closing five Georgia Social Security offices will make it harder for Georgia seniors, especially in rural areas, to enroll in the program, solve payment issues, report fraud, and more.”
The closure of these offices, according to Warnock, will make it more difficult for Georgia seniors—especially those in rural areas—to access vital services, such as enrolling in the program, resolving payment issues and reporting fraud.
The senator went on to say:
“As I have said before, I am all for cutting government waste and abuse, but never at the expense of hardworking Georgians, especially our retired seniors. On the Senate Aging Committee, I’ve worked to protect Georgians from bad actors looking to take advantage of seniors, and this is no different. The closure of these offices will make it significantly harder for Georgians to get access to their benefits or talk through an often confusing bureaucratic system.”
