The Trump administration celebrated Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano’s first year on the job with a triumphant press release, hailing the agency as a “premier service organization.” In truth, there isn’t much to celebrate, despite Bisignano’s boasting:::
“Over the last year, we have delivered better, faster, higher-quality customer service for the more than 330 million Americans we serve. We are just getting started.” – Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano, from 5/7/27 press release
Beneath the glossy language lie sketchy data and questionable claims that don’t square with what advocates — and beneficiaries — are actually seeing on the ground.
On face value alone, it’s hard to reconcile Bisignano’s glowing report with the brutal cutbacks and harmful policy changes that the Trump administration made shortly after DOGE invaded the Social Security Administration (SSA) in early 2025. Media reports tell a starkly different story than the official line: DOGE interference has devastated the agency’s ability to properly serve the public. For the actual facts, read on:::
FALSE CLAIM #1:
“Commissioner Bisignano has reduced the average speed of answer on the National 800 Number to 6.6 minutes — an 84 percent reduction.”
THE FACTS:
SSA has not been transparent about how it calculates this metric, and there’s reason to be skeptical. Seniors’ advocates are hearing reports of calls being marked as “successfully completed” even when callers reach a live agent or not.
Kathleen Romig of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) warned that the agency’s claims rely on what she calls a “statistical sleight of hand.” Key parts of the caller experience are effectively excluded from wait time calculations. As Romig explains, once a caller is routed to an automated system or selects a ‘self-service’ option, they are no longer counted as “waiting,” even if they never reach a human being or get their issue resolved.
When we talk to beneficiaries across the country, we hear stories that run counter to what SSA claims: longer wait times both online and in person, more reliance on automated systems that can’t handle complex questions, and staffers re-assigned to phone lines after only a few hours of training. Some calls are being answered by new AI bots which the tech news site C-NET described as “maddening.” Bots have reportedly asked callers, “Do you want to hang up now?” and many people have done just that, out of sheer frustration.
Last fall, The Washington Post published an investigation documenting severe problems with SSA’s 1-800 phone line, including beneficiaries who struggled for hours (if not days) to get help. “This is ridiculous. There’s no reason for it. It’s a kick in the butt to people who have worked all of their lives or those who are disabled and need help,” said a 72-year old beneficiary named Kathy. “You want to pick up the phone. You want to talk to someone. And those days, unfortunately, are just about over,” said Keith, a 73-year old caller.
FALSE CLAIM #2:
“SSA is achieving a 20 percent increase in online transactions, completing nearly 90 million more transactions in FY 2025 compared to FY 2024.”
THE FACTS:
This is not surprising, as SSA has purposely cut customer service via phone and at field offices, forcing seniors online to do business with the agency. While many seniors are perfectly capable of accessing their benefits online, others lack the technical know-how or connectivity to do so. And speaking of know-how (or lack thereof), DOGE’s incompetence caused the SSA website to crash several times in 2025, interrupting customer service.
Also — the higher number of online transactions may say more about fear and dysfunction than actual progress. Rightly concerned about DOGE malfeasance at SSA, many beneficiaries rushed to create online “My Social Security” accounts to download their earnings records. They simply didn’t trust the Trump administration to properly preserve their data. Of course, it turns out that their personal data has been grossly abused by DOGE in the meantime.
Even if the raw number of online transactions has increased, it does not mean that the quality of customer service has improved; in fact, given the cuts in personal, one-on-one service, the result is likely the opposite.
At a congressional hearing in March, Commissioner Bisignano could not account for DOGE data breaches at SSA
FALSE CLAIM #3:
“SSA is shortening field office wait times by 30 percent in over 1,200 field offices, enabling nearly 30 percent of calls to be resolved via self-service or callback.”
THE FACTS:
Under Commissioner Bisignano, SSA has made plain its desire to steer beneficiaries away from field offices, where they typically received the most personal service by knowledgeable staff — and onto the online system. Why? Because Trump/DOGE cut so many staffers that field offices couldn’t be adequately staffed.
Last month, Business Insider reported that the Trump administration had closed in person services at more than a dozen field offices around the country, some for lack of resources due to DOGE cutbacks.
For many Americans, especially those with lower incomes, seniors, and people with disabilities, “self-service” is not really an option. Recent reporting is already telling us that many seniors are driving up to 2.5 hours each way to receive in person help from SSA offices. In response, many will simply disengage from the entire process. This is no way to treat those who have earned these benefits.
FALSE CLAIM #4:
“SSA has reduced the initial disability claims backlog by 33 percent, from a high of 1.27 million in 2024 to 853,000 cases in April 2026.”
THE FACTS:
This claim raises more questions than it answers. SSA’s workforce has been cut by roughly 7,000 employees — about 12 percent — while funding has failed to keep pace with inflation.
Without transparency on how these reductions were achieved, it’s fair to ask: are claims being processed more efficiently, or being denied more quickly?
During the Biden administration, under Commissioner Martin O’Malley, the Social Security Administration significantly reduced disability hearing delays. SSA reported that average hearing wait times fell from 450 days in FY 2023 to 280 days by the end of 2024. The hearings backlog also fell to about 263,000 pending cases — nearly the lowest level in more than 30 years.
Forgive us for giving greater credence to Biden’s statistics than Trump’s.
FALSE CLAIM #5:
“SSA is protecting systems and infrastructure with a renewed focus on data integrity and enhanced controls to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.”
THE FACTS:
This may be the most misleading, laughable, and flat-out WRONG claim of them all.
Under Bisignano, Musk, and the DOGE catastrophe, SSA has been playing hot potato with Americans’ personal data. The brave testimonials from former SSA official Chuck Borges — aka the “SSA Whistleblower” — revealed a historic violation of privacy, in which Americans’ personal data was uploaded to an unsecured server. A court filing last September further revealed that DOGE bros had offered to share Social Security data with a conservative political activist.
At the same time, the administration continues to invoke “fraud” as justification for policy changes that diminish seniors’ access to their earned benefits. These actions completely ignore the fact that fraud in Social Security programs is exceedingly rare. If anything, recent actions have increased the risk of “waste, fraud, and abuse.” The entire DOGE reign at SSA was a case study in abuse of public trust.
In Conclusion
Bisignano and his “technology-forward, humans-left-behind agenda” ignore a basic reality. Social Security isn’t a tech company to be sold to private equity and gutted. It is SOCIAL INSURANCE, a generational compact between Americans young and old.
No amount of statistical spin can substitute for a system that has been working quite well for 90 years – never missing a benefit payment. America’s seniors have earned these benefits, and are entitled to a competent SSA with trained staff, accessible services, and respect for their personal data. The Trump administration’s reckless actions at SSA are wrecking the agency from within while setting the stage for Wall Street to step in (just ask Ted Cruz).
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Read our post where we fact-checked Bisignano in September, 2025 HERE.
Listen to our podcast interview with former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley HERE.
Watch our documentary about the 90th anniversary of Social Security HERE.