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By Aliss Higham
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) has highlighted its "key accomplishments" in the first 100 days of President Donald Trump's administration.
Why It Matters
The agency, which pays out benefits to some 70 million Americans every month, has undergone a slew of changes since the Trump administration began in January. Many of these changes are the result of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) work taking place across the federal government.
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"Working with the Department of Government Efficiency, SSA has charted a new course for the agency that prioritizes enhancing customer service, reducing waste, fraud, and abuse, and optimizing its workforce toward direct public service," the SSA said of the changes.
But many of the reforms have been met with fierce criticism from former SSA officials, Democrat lawmakers and advocacy groups for retired and disabled Americans.
What To Know
The SSA has highlighted 13 key accomplishments, ranging from speeding up the payment of retroactive benefits and monthly increases required by the Social Security Fairness Act, to "modernizing telephone services" and "workforce optimization" as well as bringing in "enhanced fraud prevention" and the updating of its death records.
The SSA noted it has made "significant strides" on the delivering the Social Security Fairness Act, distributing over $14.8 billion in retroactive payments to more than 2.2 million people affected by two provisions that were repealed by an act of Congress earlier this year.
Previously, affected beneficiaries were told it could take up to a year for backdated payments and renewed benefits amounts to be administered.
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The SSA also confirmed that more than 3,000 staff members have left the agency, with a further 2,000 being reassigned to offices where more staff are required. In February, the federal government's Office of Personnel Management advised federal government agencies, including the SSA, to submit "reorganization plans" and prepare for "reductions in force."
The agency also highlighted its changes to fraud prevention, saying it has "implemented enhanced fraud prevention tools for claims filed over the telephone."
A previous plan, to end over-the-phone processing of benefits and payment changes, was met with considerable criticism. The SSA later partially rolled back the change before announcing it would only require in person appointments for those with anomalies flagged on their account.
It also provided an update on its progress regarding bringing SSA death records up to date.
"Updating the records of individuals who are implausibly old to be living is an important anti-fraud measure," the SSA said in the release. DOGE has already confirmed it is expected to complete the works in the coming weeks, with millions of records already updated.
The work began after Elon Musk, the de facto head of DOGE who is spearheading Trump's vast federal spending cuts, claimed in February that millions of people—many who would be long dead—over the age of 100 could be collecting Social Security benefits. The SSA later clarified that the figures had been misinterpreted and the millions of records Musk referenced include individuals who, while not receiving benefits, have records lacking a recorded date of death.
Criticism
The vast changes implemented in the first 100 days of the Trump administration has not been without critics, and DOGE works have also been met with legal action.
Earlier this month, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to block DOGE from accessing sensitive personal information held by the SSA. The order prohibits DOGE, along with its agents and employees, from providing access to systems that contain personally identifiable information, such as Social Security numbers, medical records, addresses, bank and tax records.
Martin O'Malley, who was commissioner of the agency under President Joe Biden, has repeatedly said that staffing cuts and DOGE works threaten to interrupt the delivery of benefits. Most recently, he said personnel cutbacks could "cascade into a collapse of the entire system and an interruption for some time of benefits."
Democratic lawmakers, including former President Biden, have also raised concerns. In his first major speech since leaving office in January, Biden said the current administration has "taken a hatchet" to the SSA.
In recent weeks, there have also been reports of SSA website crashes, long waits for phone and in-person services, as well as some recipients being incorrectly declared as dead.
What People Are Saying
Leland Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, said in the press release: "I am proud of the extraordinary work by our dedicated employees at SSA to help deliver on President Trump's promise to protect Social Security. Our employees understand the urgency of the moment and have worked hard to restore the public's trust. While much work remains to be done, there is no question that SSA is taking the necessary steps to transform how it serves the public while protecting hardworking American taxpayers."
What Happens Next
Dudek, who has overseen the changes implemented in the first 100 days of the Trump presidency, will likely be replaced by the president's nominee Frank Bisignano.
On April 2, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee advanced the nomination of Bisignano by a vote of 14-13. The final vote has not yet been scheduled.
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