4 Things to Watch as Elon Musk Attacks Social Security
Compromised Data Musk and his DOGE team have access to tens of millions of Social Security data with sensitive personal information, which is concerning. One concern is that the information will fall into the wrong hands and increase Social Security scams.
Office Closures Musk prioritizes closing government offices and emptying buildings, which the SSA is doing. In a Feb. 28 news release, the agency stated its 10-office regional system is “no longer sustainable” and that it wants to “reduce the regional structure in all agency components down to four regions.”
ProPublica reports that over 1,200 SSA regional and field offices assist 119,000 Social Security recipients daily. Many recipients would find it harder to get services and answers after offices close.
Staff Layoffs These office closings at the SSA couldn't have come at a worse time, according to Rich Couture, a spokesman for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)'s SSA General Committee, which represents about 42,000 Social Security workers.
“SSA is at its lowest staffing levels in 50 years while taking care of more Americans than ever,” Couture told NPR. We must keep frontline workers who serve the public and those who support them.
Longer Waiting Times The SSA already struggles with long wait periods for benefits and queries. Experts say it will deteriorate if the agency substantially cuts staff and field operations.
Disability benefits are “cumbersome and difficult to navigate,” Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, told NPR. About 10,000 benefit appealees die awaiting resolution.