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Insider’s Report: SSA Customer Service Made Worse Under Trump Administration

New reporting confirms that customer service at the Social Security Administration (SSA) has tanked since President Trump took office ( [link removed] ) last January — despite the Administration’s claims to the contrary. A new investigative report by the Washington Post — based on a thorough analysis of agency data and interviews — reveals that “long-strained customer services have become worse by many key measures.”

New reporting confirms that customer service at the Social Security Administration (SSA) has tanked since President Trump took office ( [link removed] ) last January — despite the Administration’s claims to the contrary. A new investigative report by the Washington Post — based on a thorough analysis of agency data and interviews — reveals that “long-strained customer services have become worse by many key measures.”

“Thousands of employees were fired or quit and hasty policy changes and reassignments left inexperienced staff to handle the aftermath,” write Post correspondents Lisa Rein, Meryl Kornfield, and Hannah Natanson. (SSA slashed its workforce at a time when staffing already was at a 50-year low, with 10,000 baby boomers hitting age 65 every day.)

Billionaire Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) swept into SSA last winter, seizing Americans’ personal Social Security data and disrupting agency operations as part of a phony hunt for ‘fraud.’ (Never mind that actual Social Security fraud is statistically quite low.)  Musk and Trump’s claims that 150-year-olds somehow collect benefits were part of this charade.

Meanwhile, a New York Times report published just before Christmas revealed that DOGE’s crusade to cut government “waste, fraud and abuse” was a sham.

“The group did not do what Mr. Musk said it would: reduce federal spending by $1 trillion before October. On DOGE’s watch, federal spending did not go down at all. It went up,” according to the Times report.
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DOGE’s assault on the SSA exposed that the true goal was not to fight waste but to weaken public support for Social Security to make it more vulnerable to cuts and radical “reforms.”

Thanks to public pressure from the National Committee and seniors across the country, SSA and DOGE were forced to walk back some of their more egregious proposals, but the Trump Administration’s campaign to chip away at seniors’ programs continues — with grave implications not only for the SSA, but for the Medicare and Medicaid programs as well. 

If recent reporting proves anything, it’s that the fight against the Trump Administration’s efforts to scale back seniors’ programs, services and benefits will continue into 2026.

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New Podcast Episode: The Best of 2025

Check out the National Committee’s latest “You Earned This” podcast episode ( [link removed] ). Savor the best moments from the podcast during 2025! This compilation features interviews with Jon 'Bowzer' Bauman of Sha Na Na, Senator Ron Wyden and former Senator Tom Harkin, U.S. Representatives Maxwell Frost & Debbie Wasserman Schultz, AARP's Deb Whitman, and former Social Security Commissioner Martin O'Malley — among many others. Enjoy! If you missed an episode or two last year, now’s your chance to catch up! Visit our Past Episodes page ( [link removed] ) and sample the entire library!

Ask Us!

Whether you’re retired or approaching retirement, our team of experts in the field of Social Security policy is available to answer your questions about benefits.

You can either search our archives ( [link removed] ) for valuable advice on a broad range of concerns or submit your question here ( [link removed] ).

This week’s question is: 
I called a local Social Security office yesterday to make an appointment for my wife and me to file for benefits. We have both reached full retirement age. The agent asked me when I wanted to start benefits. I didn’t know we had a choice. What answer should I give when we go to file?

Click here to read the answer. ( [link removed] )

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Your Morning Read

A free subscription, keeps you on top of the latest news about your earned benefits.

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Your support sustains our campaigns in Washington to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.

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Social Security Benefits

Learn more about the Social Security program and the policies the National Committee supports that would strengthen your earned benefits.

Medicare Drug Savings Eclipsed by Part B Premiums, COLA Challenges and ACA’s Rising Costs ( [link removed] )

Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare, stressed the importance of ACA marketplace coverage for older adults, who often struggle to find affordable health insurance. “It’s not only cruel to let their premiums skyrocket; it costs everyone in the long run,” observes Richtman. (January 5, 2026, Rhode Island News, Herb Weiss)

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Thanks, Cato, But Let’s Not “Re-Imagine” Social Security (It’s Been Working for 90 Years) ( [link removed] )

What do you get when a right-leaning think tank publishes a book proposing to radically change Social Security? You get something like “Re-imagining Social Security,” authored by the CATO Institute’s Ivane Nachkebia and Romina Boccia. To these authors, “re-imagining” the program that some 70 million Americans depend on for financial security essentially means altering the program beyond recognition. (December 22, 2025, Entitled to Know blog, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare)

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Legislation introduced by Hawai‘i U.S. senator would protect, expand Social Security ( [link removed] )

Senator Brian Schatz’s Safeguarding American Families and Expanding Social Security Act would increase benefits, improve COLAs, and extend the life of the Social Security trust fund. The SAFE Social Security Act is supported by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. (January 5, 2026, Big Islands News, Hawai'i State News)

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SSA phone wait times longer than publicly reported metrics, per OIG report ( [link removed] )

The Social Security Administration’s leadership is claiming victory after the agency’s watchdog released a new report on its phone line showing service improvements in fiscal 2025. But the report isn’t likely to quiet critics, who say the agency’s publicly listed metrics are misleading. (December 22, 2025, NextGov, Natalie Alms)

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Big Pharma hikes 100s of drug prices despite Trump pressure ( [link removed] )

Big Pharma is using the start of 2026 to raise list prices across its portfolios, affecting everything from routine prescriptions to blockbuster vaccines. The result is a collision between political promises to rein in drug costs and a market that still largely lets manufacturers decide what Americans pay. (January 4, 2026, MSN, Silas Redmond)

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Social Security Marred by ‘Series of Crises’ Under Trump, Group Says ( [link removed] )

A steady erosion of front-line staffing at the Social Security Administration (SSA) is straining services nationwide, according to a new analysis that points to growing pressure on workers and longer waits for the millions of Americans who rely on the agency. (December 31, 2025, Newsweek, Aliss Higham)

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Medicare Update: New ID Verification Coming for Seniors Next Year ( [link removed] )

Medicare beneficiaries will see major updates in the new year as Medicare.gov transitions to use ID.me and CLEAR. The new ID tools will used to verify recipients’ identity online following major shifts that began for Medicare in 2025. (December 22, 2025, Newsweek, Suzanne Blake)

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