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In the short period of time that Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE have had their hooks in the Social Security Administration, there have been alarming changes at the agency. The most obvious – and most egregious – is Musk and DOGE’s access to the sensitive personal data of some 70 million Social Security beneficiaries, creating the potential for enormous abuse. This was the first line of attack in Musk’s bogus campaign to expose fraud at an agency where improper payments are less than 1% of total benefits paid. (See his widely discredited claim that ‘150 year-olds are receiving benefits’ and other nonsense.)
Today, the American Prospect reported that Social Security’s acting commissioner asked that managers present him with a plan to cut the agency’s staff by 50%. The Prospect characterized this as “a mass firing that could affect tens of thousands of employees across the country.” This comes at a point when staffing at SSA is already at a 50-year low, with 10,000 Baby Boomers reaching retirement age every day.
“The idea of cutting the staff by 50% is outrageous and irresponsible — and would devastate customer service to the 70 million Americans on Social Security. There is no reason for slashing SSA’s workforce by half, other than the ideological crusade of Elon Musk, DOGE, and their sympathizers in SSA leadership to hollow out the agency that administers our most popular social insurance program and privatize as much of the federal government as they possibly can.” – National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, 2/26/25
Other troubling developments this week include the closure of SSA divisions (or offices) that Trump and Musk likely oppose on ideological grounds. This week SSA announced the closures of the Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Transformation. Former Commissioner Martin O’Malley created the Office of Transformation to spearhead the improvement of customer service at the understaffed, underfunded agency. By closing that office, Trump and Musk are signaling that improving service to beneficiaries no longer is a priority.
The closure of the Office Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity no doubt is part of the Trump administration’s crusade to eliminate protections for groups that have traditionally faced discrimination.
According to a former SSA employee who wishes to remain anonymous, the Office of Civil Rights “spent most of their time processing sexual harassment complaints, race and sex discrimination complaints, and advising on administrative issues, such as reasonable accommodation (RA) requests from staff with physical disabilities.”
SSA disingenuously claims that this office was ‘redundant’ and is shifting responsibilities to different departments. This move seems more symbolic than pragmatic — and is consistent with the mean-spirted MAGA campaign against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). “So much for the land of equality,” said one of our grassroots volunteers in Florida.
“This is an ideological campaign, not a good faith effort to improve government. What Musk & DOGE are trying to do is discredit our most popular social insurance program that has been doing its job quite well for almost 90 years. Perhaps they hope not only to question the value of Social Security, but lay the groundwork to cut benefits going forward. – NCPSSM President and CEO Max Richtman, 2/26/25
It’s noteworthy that these changes are all being made before a confirmed Social Security commissioner takes over. President Trump nominated financial services executive Frank Bisignano, but he has yet to be confirmed or sworn in. In the meantime, Leland Dudek, a GS-15 employee not in the ranks of upper management, was elevated to acting commissioner after the previous person in that post resigned in protest. Dudek, who is considered sympathetic to Musk and DOGE’s crusade, is the one who reportedly is considering firing 50% of the agency’s staff, and who presided over this week’s other alarming changes.
Social Security’s controversial new acting commissioner, Leland Dudek
On Monday, the union representing most SSA employees (AFSCME), filed suit in federal court “to stop DOGE’s unlawful seizure of people’s personal, sensitive data from the Social Security Administration.” The only apparent public resistance to the Musk/DOGE takeover of Social Security has come from unions, advocacy groups, and Democrats in Congress; but congressional Republicans and the President himself seem fine with the unelected billionaire Musk and his minions taking a wrecking ball to the Social Security Administration — one of the most efficient agencies in the federal government.