Over the last decade, Republicans in Congress have insisted on cuts to the Social Security Administration, forcing long wait times in offices, long hold times on the 800 number, a backlog in benefit applications, and the loss of staff expertise. The strategy is clear: If every interaction with SSA is just a little bit worse, or less frequent, maybe they can get the American people to fall out of love with Social Security.

Each cut; each office closure; each policy that makes it more difficult for us to access our earned Social Security benefits is an intentional attempt to destroy the entire system.

The latest policy that amounts to a cut to Social Security and which undermines Social Security offices and staff is a new $25 fee to replace a Social Security card (discounted to $7 if you request the replacement online).

The new $25 fee eats into our already modest Social Security benefits―and this policy disproportionately impacts women because the most common reason for a replacement card is a name change after marriage.

But, this new policy is more than an unnecessary fee. The discounted online offer is an attempt by the Trump administration to move even more services away from Social Security offices and staff―which the administration then uses to justify the closure of even more offices.

Sign the petition to the Acting Commissioner of Social Security to end the slow drip-drip-drip of policies that are aimed at destroying Social Security. We demand that the commissioner abandon the new fee for replacement Social Security cards and end its attacks on our earned benefits.