A crowd of nearly 500 people filled the auditorium at Woodlawn High School Thursday night for a raucous town hall with Democratic lawmakers on the future of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
The event, held less than two miles from the agencies' Baltimore County headquarters, drew intense emotions from those who rely on these federal programs — and are worried Democrats aren’t fighting hard enough against President Donald Trump’s administration to protect them.
Susan Lattimore, a retired teacher from Gwynn Oak, sat near the stage holding a sign reading, “SS RECIPIENTS are NOT PARASITES,” a direct response to comments made by Elon Musk about Americans who depend on federal benefits.
“I came to stand up with these representatives,” Lattimore said, emphasizing the need to push back against proposed federal cuts.
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Her daughter, 43-year-old Amara Griffin, sat beside her and voiced frustration — not just at Republicans, but at Democratic lawmakers, as well.
“I feel that the Democrats are playing by the rules, and they keep getting played,” she said. “What happened to standing up and fighting back? I don’t feel like there’s much of a spine to be seen, and it makes me angry.”
Baltimore County Councilman Pat Young hosted the event and was joined by U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, as well as U.S. Reps. Kweisi Mfume and Johnny Olszewski Jr., all Democrats.
Together, the lawmakers offered empathy for attendees worried that the Trump administration would cut their benefits as part of efforts to downsize the government and fund tax cuts for the rich.
“I had to come here because I know what you’re feeling, and I want you to know that we feel it, too,” Olszewski told the crowd.
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The first-term congressman also commended Van Hollen and Alsobrooks for defying Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and voting against a Republican-backed bill to fund the government.
Mentions of the Senate minority leader sparked sharp reactions from the audience throughout the evening.
“Fire Chuck Schumer!” a man shouted.
“Schumer must go!” another audience member chanted.
While the crowd cheered and applauded the lawmakers for much of the evening, some faulted them for confirming Trump’s cabinet appointees and not showing enough urgency in pushing back against his administration.
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“We need people to get mad,” a woman told them.
Some 327,000 Marylanders work for the federal government, according to U.S. Census data. That’s about 10% of the state’s workforce.
About 10,000 people worked for Social Security in Maryland and roughly 4,000 at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as of last year, according to federal data. Together, those agencies would be Baltimore County’s largest employer, aside from the county’s public school system.
Trump and the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency have vowed to slash federal spending, though some of the administration’s early moves are being shut down by courts.
Trump has promised not to cut Social Security or Medicare payments; Musk claimed on social media, without evidence, that such programs are rife with fraud.
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Gary Poindexter, a 68-year-old from Pikesville, was among several retirees in the audience concerned about potential cuts to his benefits. He said he was looking to lawmakers for “a little bit of hope.”
Alsobrooks acknowledged she had few answers.
“The truth of the matter is that we don’t know what they intend,” Maryland’s junior senator said.
Fiery town halls have erupted across the U.S. in response to the Trump administration’s proposed federal cuts, with passionate debates over the future of government programs like Social Security and Medicare.
Local, state and federal Democrats in Maryland have been holding dozens of job fairs and town halls related to the Trump administration’s plans.
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Meanwhile many Trump voters and Republican officials, including Maryland’s sole GOP congressional member, Rep. Andy Harris, say Americans back a government overhaul.
”We hear a lot more from the people who say, ‘Please bring down, control the cost and size of government,’” Harris has said.
The sentiment in Woodlawn on Thursday was far different.
Among those who spoke was a 77-year-old retiree who previously worked for Baltimore County Public Schools and the NAACP. She told lawmakers she has been having sleepless nights, fearing she may soon lose her benefits.
“I have earned my Social Security,” she said to rousing applause.
This story has been updated.
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