During a press conference this month, President Donald Trump was asked if there were any federal agencies or programs Elon Musk’s newly founded Department of Government Efficiency would not be allowed to interfere with. “Social Security will not be touched,” Trump responded, reiterating a promise he has made for years. Despite his haste to demolish treaties, close entire federal agencies, and discard decades-old practices, President Trump says that Social Security benefits are going to remain protected.
Nonetheless, the DOGE team visited the Social Security Administration this week, with Musk making headlines for his bizarre allegations that some 150-year-old -people are receiving Social Security benefits. DOGE has begun to place its agents in high-level positions at the Social Security Administration, including an engineer linked to eugenics tweets and executives with a cut-first-fix-later mindset.</
Their first several actions, which included the termination of 41 positions and the closure of at least 10 local offices, was mostly overlooked in the flood of news. Those initial changes may appear conservative in comparison to the major firings that DOGE has carried out at other federal offices. However, Social Security beneficiaries rely on in-person service in all 50 states, and the closure of offices, which DOGE reports would include locations ranging from rural West Virginia to Las Vegas, might have far-reaching consequences.
The closures may decrease access to Social Security for some of the most vulnerable people in this country. Those include retirees and those with severe physical and intellectual disabilities. Social Security also provides benefits to children whose parents have died. The Social Security Administration’s, headquarters are just outside Baltimore. Additionally, there over 1,200 regional and field offices, accounting for roughly one-fifth of all federal government offices nationwide. On any given business day, 119,000 people visit these physical locations.
Some of them don’t have access to a computer; They often need help navigating the complex legal language of a nearly century-old social program with a cumbersome application process. This is also where the elderly can apply for Medicare, which has no physical locations of its own. Hearings are held here for beneficiaries who believe they have been wrongfully denied benefits.
“It’s where people access government,” said Kathleen Romig, a longtime expert on the program at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities who recently served at the Social Security Administration in a temporary capacity. More Social Security office closures, such as those that the Trump administration has begun to pursue — the president is broadly moving to close a range of offices and has even floated the idea of terminating every single federal lease — will make it more difficult for poor people with apply for and receive assistance, according to research on previous closures.
The White House press office did not reply to a request for comment. However, in a recent Fox News interview, press secretary Karoline Leavitt lambasted “fake news reporters” for “fear-mongering” regarding the future of Social Security under the Trump administration. She said that Elon Musk is solely looking for fraud and waste in the program.
The approximately 15 million beneficiaries of Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, many of whom are severely disabled are among the least politically powerful persons in the United States. Many people told ProPublica that the journey to their nearest Social Security office is already long, and that waiting times to speak with a representative or have a claim or an appeal handled can last hours or years. Even before Trump was inaugurated, the agency’s employment levels were at a 50-year low due to a decade of budget constraints and layoffs imposed by congressional Republicans.
Bryan Dooley, a 34-year-old with cerebral palsy who lives outside Winston Salem, North Carolina, uses a wheelchair. His benefits which entitle him to a portion of his late mother’s Social Security, were inadvertently shut off several months ago. As he fights to reinstate them, he has depleted his savings account to pay his mortgage. He desperately wants to stay in his home rather than being forced into a nursing home or other long-term care facility.
Dooley, who works part-time for Solutions for Independence, an organization that helps people with disabilities, stated that “we’re all watching” the events at the Social Security Administration. If his local office closed, he said, he could have to coordinate with a caregiver or family member to drive him 100 miles to Raleigh for administrative hearings on his benefits; arranging appointments, which was already tough, would become nearly impossible. “It would be a nightmare for all of us,” he said.
Like Bryan, I also have cerebral palsy. I have received SSI since 2016. SSI allows me to pay my bills. However, benefits don’t provide a livable income. I only receive $997.40 a month. Paying all of my bills would be impossible without my live-in PCA’s help. He buys most household essentials such as shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, and soap.
In many states, Medicaid coverage is tied to SSI, which can lead to a loss of coverage if you are found ineligible. Massachusetts Medicaid pays my PCAs to help me with activities of daily living such as toileting, showering, and meal preparation. Medicaid is the only insurance that covers home and community-based services; therefore, I can’t lose coverage.
Paying for medical expenses out of pocket would cause me to go bankrupt. My PCA hours cost over $50,000 annually. I also use a power wheelchair that costs more than $20,000. My walker is more than $1,000.
Cutting Social Security benefits will impact millions of vulnerable Americans. Cutting Social Security benefits could mean that people die. People need these benefits to survive.
<Sources
Hager, Eli. “What Are Doge’s Plans for the Social Security Administration?” ProPublica, ProPublica, 22 Feb. 2025, http://www.propublica.org/article/doge-social-security-elon-musk-trump-closures-benefits?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=feature.
Hussein, Fatima. “Tens of Millions of Dead People Aren’t Getting Social Security Checks, despite Trump and Musk Claims.” AP News, AP News, 19 Feb. 2025, apnews.com/article/social-security-payments-deceased-false-claims-doge-ed2885f5769f368853ac3615b4852cf7.
Williams, Sean. “Will President Donald Trump Renege on His Social Security Promise with House Republicans Seeking $2 Trillion in Cuts to Mandatory Spending?” The Motley Fool, The Motley Fool LLC, 22 Feb. 2025, http://www.fool.com/retirement/2025/02/22/donald-trump-renege-on-his-social-security-promise/.