Social Security Plans To Cut 7,000 Workers

bernie sanders speaking at a hands off social security rally
Via Wikimedia
Adé Hennis
March 12, 2025

Last Friday, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced plans to reduce its workforce from 57,000 to 50,000. However, one employee warns of the repercussions of such a massive cut.

An SSA employee told CBS, "We are already short-staffed as it is. Right now we are working on [disability] applications generally from 2023-ish.” The employee also warns that wait times for application processing could be extended by a year.

The agency has never missed distributing Social Security benefit payments, but that streak could soon be over, according to former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley, who warns beneficiaries to start saving. “Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits. I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days.”

Elon Musk, who runs the Department of Government Efficiency, recently called the Social Security benefit program a “Ponzi scheme.” DOGE and the Trump administration have been pushing for federal staff cuts for efficiency purposes.

“I’m not disagreeing with the idea that the [Social Security] agency could be more efficient,” said Andrew Biggs, a former principal deputy commissioner at the agency. “I just wonder whether you can come up with that by cutting the positions first and figuring out how to have the efficiencies later.”

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