Overview

• The Social Security Administration has cut 7,000 employees—12% of its workforce—under the Trump administration’s cost-cutting initiative led by Elon Musk.
• Former Commissioner Martin O'Malley predicts potential benefit payment interruptions within 30 to 90 days if staffing and IT issues persist.
• Service disruptions, including claim backlogs and repeated system outages, have already been reported, though no payments have been delayed to date.
• Bipartisan lawmakers and advocates criticize the cuts as short-sighted, warning of risks to millions who rely on Social Security as a financial lifeline.
• Acting Commissioner Lee Dudek defends the reductions as necessary to eliminate inefficiencies, while O'Malley urges urgent legislative action to prevent a crisis.