Social Security faces a crisis with staff cuts, closures

The Social Security Administration is in crisis, and people’s benefits are at risk.

We do not say this lightly. We both served in senior roles at the Social Security Administration — one of us under a Democratic president and the other under a Republican. Both of us have decades of expertise on Social Security and related systems. We know from experience that our Social Security system is resilient and has overcome many challenges. The administration of the programs Social Security delivers is in greater danger now than ever before.

Over the last month, the Social Security Administration has announced plans to cut at least 7,000 staff and consolidate service delivery by closing six regional offices. According to the Trump administration’s acting Social Security commissioner, these cuts are driven by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. 

The Social Security Administration was already facing serious customer service challenges, even prior to these cuts. These sudden, seemingly indiscriminate cuts would risk jeopardizing Americans’ access to the benefits they have earned.

When Americans claim their benefits, or want to resolve an issue, they have three options: Go to a field office, call Social Security’s 800 number or go online to SSA.gov. These cuts will affect all three options. It will mean lines around the block at field offices, even longer wait times on the already overburdened 800 number, and possibly even a slower, glitchier website.

Also, due to a newly announced policy, millions of people won’t even have the option to use the phone and will have to go to overcrowded field offices instead.

Compromising customer service and access to benefits is more than an administrative issue. It is a de facto cut to a program Americans across the political spectrum support and rely on for financial security.

Americans will find it far more stressful and time-consuming to access the Social Security benefits they’ve earned. Some may not be able to claim benefits, or resolve issues, at all. People may have to wait on the phone for hours to claim retirement benefits. Widows and widowers with young children who just lost their spouses may struggle to claim survivor benefits. 

These cuts will hit people with disabilities hardest. Already, 30,000 Americans a year are dying while waiting for a hearing on Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, which can take months or even years. These cuts are likely to make that wait even longer. Any one of us could get hit by a car tomorrow and need those benefits as soon as possible — not years from now.

Degraded customer service isn’t our only concern. Due to the enormous loss of institutional knowledge and expertise from recent staff departures and more to come, Social Security may experience catastrophic system failures.

Social Security’s infrastructure is antiquated and complex. For example, key systems use COBOL, a programming language developed in the 1950s and ’60s, with which many computer engineers are unfamiliar. If Social Security’s computer systems experience an outage, which has happened twice in recent years, the agency may lack the expertise to resolve it.

Social Security has never missed a payment in its nearly 90 years. Unless Congress acts soon, that could change in the near future. This is not a partisan issue. Democratic, Republican and independent voters all greatly value and need Social Security. In red states and blue states alike, Americans want access to their hard-earned benefits. 

The Trump administration’s own acting Social Security commissioner has stated publicly that the DOGE-led cuts could “break things,” and that the recent changes are being effectuated by “outsiders who are unfamiliar with nuances of SSA programs.” The Social Security commissioner from President Trump’s first term has also raised concerns, as have a growing array of Social Security experts across the political spectrum.

We urge Republicans and Democrats in Congress to work together to protect Social Security. The time to act is now, when it is still possible for the agency to reverse course on at least some of the staff cuts and access to sensitive data and systems. If members of Congress wait any longer, they will soon find their phone lines and district offices flooded with furious constituents who can’t access benefits. 

Service delivery delayed can turn into service delivery denied if Congress doesn’t stand up and act soon to prevent a collapse of the Social Security Administration.

Jason Fichtner is a senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance. Kathleen Romig is director of Social Security and Disability Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.