The Social Security Administration is set to lay off at least 7,000 employees from its 60,000-person workforce, according to a source familiar with the agency’s plans who is not authorized to speak publicly.
Another individual, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, suggested that the workforce reduction could be as high as 50%.
The direct impact of these layoffs on the 72.5 million Social Security beneficiaries, including retirees and children receiving retirement and disability benefits, remains uncertain.
However, advocates and Democratic lawmakers warn that the reduction in staff will hinder the agency’s ability to provide timely services. Some argue that cutting the workforce is effectively equivalent to cutting benefits.
Later on Friday, the agency issued a news release detailing plans for “significant workforce reductions,” reassignments of employees from “non-mission critical positions to mission critical direct service positions,” and an offer of voluntary separation agreements.
The agency’s letter to employees indicated that some reassignments “may be involuntary and may require retraining for new workloads.”
These layoffs are part of the Trump administration’s broader initiative to downsize the federal workforce, overseen by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by President Donald Trump’s advisor Elon Musk.
A representative from the Social Security Administration did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
Sources familiar with the agency’s internal discussions report that SSA’s new acting commissioner, Leland Dudek, convened a meeting with management this week, instructing them to devise a plan that would eliminate half of the workforce at SSA headquarters in Washington, D.C., and at least half of the employees in regional offices.
Additionally, details regarding the termination of office leases for Social Security sites nationwide are available on the DOGE website, which hosts a “Wall of Receipts,” described as a “transparent account of DOGE’s findings and actions.”
Social Security Administration (Photo: Getty Images)
The site indicates that leases for numerous Social Security offices in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, and other states have already been or will soon be terminated.
“The Social Security Administration is already chronically understaffed. Now, the Trump Administration wants to demolish it,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group supporting the public benefit program.
Altman warned that the workforce reductions “will deny many Americans access to their hard-earned Social Security benefits. Field offices around the country will close. Wait times for the 1-800 number will soar.”
Social Security remains one of the nation’s largest and most widely supported social programs. A January poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that two-thirds of U.S. adults believe the country is spending too little on Social Security.
The program is facing financial challenges, with a potential bankruptcy date looming unless addressed by Congress.
The May 2024 Social Security and Medicare trustees’ report states that the Social Security trust funds—responsible for covering old age and disability benefits—will be unable to pay full benefits starting in 2035. At that point, Social Security would only be able to cover 83% of benefits.
Like other federal agencies, DOGE has embedded itself within the Social Security Administration as part of Trump’s January executive order, raising concerns among career officials.
This month, the Social Security Administration’s former acting commissioner, Michelle King, resigned from her position after DOGE requested access to Social Security recipient information, according to two sources familiar with the circumstances of her departure who were not authorized to speak publicly.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) expressed concerns in a statement, saying, “a plan like this will result in field office closures that will hit seniors in rural communities the hardest.”
