Threats to the Social Security Administration and to Benefits Continue to Raise Alarm 

Despite the Trump administration’s promises that Americans’ Social Security benefits will not be cut, as we discussed last week, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) recently set its sights on the program. Reports indicate their efforts are ongoing, with staffers obtaining access to the master Social Security Number database, which includes extensive and highly sensitive information. DOGE is not revealing what they plan to do with the data or how they will keep it safe.

Just as this article was being finalized, a federal judge temporarily blocked the expanded access to personally identifiable information, citing privacy concerns. However, the issue is not yet settled, and Social Security data remains at risk. 

Significant Changes and Cuts Planned 

DOGE is headed by Elon Musk, who has called Social Security—the 90-year-old bedrock of our nation’s social insurance system and the program that keeps millions of Americans, especially older adults and people with disabilities, out of poverty every year—a “Ponzi scheme.”  Musk suggested last week, without evidence, that there could be as much as $700 billion a year in entitlement fraud and that 20 million people over 100 years old are still on Social Security rolls–a statement echoed by the President in a speech to Congress and disputed by Leland Dudek, a Social Security Administration (SSA) employee who was promoted to acting Social Security Commissioner last month. 

These developments come after SSA announced plans to cut over 7,000 employees and close regional offices, actions Mr. Dudek says could “break things.”   

Concerns are Growing 

Alarm is growing around the scope and breadth of these planned actions and the risk to data security and those who rely on Social Security for income and other support. This includes older adults who have paid into the program over a lifetime, disabled individuals and their parents, and people enrolling in or paying premiums for Medicare.  

To gain some clarity, last week, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter outlining these concerns and asking several questions of Frank Bisignano, the President’s nominee for Social Security Commissioner. The Senators specifically asked about programmatic cuts resulting in “failures or delays in getting Americans their Social Security checks” as a “backdoor cut to benefits.”   

Access to Benefits Imperiled 

The letter also highlights the impact already felt because of operational changes at SSA, including the fact that workers have reported that wait times for basic services have already dramatically increased, sometimes by hours. Since the letter was sent, additional changes have been announced. On Tuesday, March 18, SSA eliminated the ability to apply for benefits or make certain changes by phone, directing older and disabled beneficiaries instead to online services or in-person appointments—which must be scheduled by phone after an average 2-hour wait and are currently booking out over a month.  

Speaking to the New York Times, Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said that the change “will substantially delay their access to their earned benefits” and that delays will “only worsen as SSA cuts thousands of staff and millions more people need to make appointments.”  

Medicare Rights is deeply concerned about these cuts to SSA’s staffing and changes to its operations. Older adults and people with disabilities need easy and prompt access to SSA services. They must not be forced to use technologies they do not have access to or travel to field offices with limited availability that may be over 100 miles away. 

Read more about field office closures.