Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., issued a warning Friday about the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s budget proposal, saying it could restrict access to Social Security and deepen economic inequality.

Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, condemned a Republican budget bill backed by Trump, warning it will harm working-class Americans and make it harder to access Social Security.

Speaking on the Senate floor before a vote Friday, Sanders criticized the legislation and Trump’s broader agenda, including DOGE, the government efficiency initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk.

The bill passed 51-48 early Saturday morning.

In a statement to Newsweek, Sanders’ office called the proposal an “absurd budget that guts programs working-class families rely on to pay for tax cuts for the rich.”

“Maybe worst of all, at a moment when Mr. Musk and his billionaire friends are laying off thousands of workers at the Social Security Administration, closing down Social Security offices all over the country, and making it harder for people with disabilities and older people to get the benefits that they have paid into for their whole lives, this bill does nothing to address that crisis,” Sanders said.

The Social Security Administration delivers monthly benefits to roughly 70 million Americans. While Trump has pledged not to cut Social Security, critics argue his policies suggest otherwise.

Trump and Musk have defended the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a campaign to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. Democrats warn the cuts risk weakening critical services.

“This bill actually makes income and wealth inequality much worse by providing massive tax breaks to the billionaires and the richest people in this country, driving up the national debt, and making those on top very, very happy,” Sanders said.