Doge's attack on social security causing 'complete, utter chaos', staff says
a year ago
- #Government Cuts
- #Social Security
- #Elon Musk
- The Social Security Administration (SSA) is facing severe operational challenges, including office closures, staffing cuts, and policy changes, leading to chaos.
- SSA plans to eliminate 7,000 jobs through buyouts, resignations, or firings, with fears of even more cuts, reducing staff to 50,000.
- Elon Musk and his 'Department of Government Efficiency' (Doge) are influencing SSA decisions, leading to system crashes and potential collapse.
- Acting commissioner Leland Dudek has threatened to shut down the agency in response to a court order barring Doge from accessing data.
- Staffing at SSA is at a 50-year low, causing backlogs in payments and improper payments due to lack of staff to update records.
- Musk and others have falsely claimed widespread fraud in SSA, despite fraud rates being extremely low (0.00625% for direct deposit fraud).
- Return-to-office mandates and office closures have disrupted services, with workers lacking necessary equipment and offices unprepared for the transition.
- Critics argue the cuts and chaos are part of a broader attack on the legitimacy of Social Security, risking privatization.
- SSA's operating overhead as a share of benefits paid has shrunk by 20% over the last decade, now less than 1%, contradicting claims of inefficiency.