House GOP raise alarm
Group of 15 urge no more Social Security cuts
By: Sarah D. Wire
USA Today
..... A group of House Republicans are warning new Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano against making more staffing cuts or shutting local offices at an agency that is seeing increasing customer service wait times.
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The plea to hold off on further agency cuts that could "further deteriorate customer service that has been sub-par in recent years" came in a letter from 15 Hose Republicans shortly after the Senate confirmed Bisignano on May 6. [2025]
..... The Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
..... Social Security has already been a target of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency's attempts to downsize the federal government, a move that has many seniors on edge. The agency's acting director, Leland Dudek, has announced plans to cut 7,000 of its 57,000 staff members, although personnel is already at a record low and the number of eligible recipients an all-time high. An estimated 3,000 staff members had taken buyouts as of March. [2025] the administration is also pushing to provide DOGE with access to the Social Security Administration data of millions of Americans. the Trump Administration asked the supreme Court on May 2 [2025] to let DOGE use the data after a federal judge in Maryland blocked Musk's team form accessing it. That court ruling found Trump officials likely violated privacy laws by giving Musk's aides "unbridled access" to personal information.
..... New identification rules added to the benefits application process, a policy floated and rumors that local field offices would be shuttered led to panic in March [2025] that resulted in website crashes and packed lobbies at some Social Security offices.
..... It also resulted in a deluge of complaints to congressional offices form constituents worried their Social Security benefits were a risk. the new letter, led by Representative Nicole Malliotakis, R-New York, stressed that efforts to make government more efficient are important, but cannot come at the expense of Americans who rely on the benefits.