The Social Security Administration (SSA) was considering making significant reductions to its phone services amid pressure from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to crack down on purported fraud, waste and abuse, The Washington Post reported, citing two sources familiar with internal discussions and records the paper obtained.
The agency walked back its plans hours later, after the Post's report, and decided to move ahead with a narrower revision barring direct-deposit changes via phone.
The Context
DOGE, led by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, has taken a wrecking-ball approach to drastically reducing the size of the federal government and bureaucracy, slashing the workforce of almost every government agency as part of its effort to crack down on what it characterizes as government waste, fraud and abuse.
What To Know
SSA leadership was weighing a proposal to eliminate telephone support for claims processing and direct-deposit account transactions, instead directing clients, including seniors and those with disabilities, to online services and in-person field offices, one source told the Post.
The move could have jeopardized public access to benefits for millions of Americans who rely on the SSA's phone service to submit claims and make transactions.
DOGE pushed back on the Post's initial reporting via its X account, calling it "inaccurate and misleading."
"Social Security is protecting our seniors by ensuring bank accounts aren't changed with little to no authentication. Approx. 40% of Social Security direct deposit fraud is associated with fraudsters calling SSA on the phone and changing the direct deposit bank account from the correct one to a fraudulent one," the task force said.
It added that beginning on March 29, those who want to change their direct deposit information "can: -Change it online using 2FA (Call Center Technicians available to assist beneficiaries with website) -Change it in person at a SSA Service Center This is identical to the fraud protections at almost all major banks, where deposit changes are made either online or in person. All other SSA phone services remain unchanged."
DOGE's reported pressure on the SSA to scale back its phone support came as the task force is pushing for the agency to cut 12 percent of its staff, which critics say could further disrupt the SSA's already strained operations.
Current and former officials emphasize that SSA's toll-free number is a crucial resource for older beneficiaries, many of whom lack reliable internet access or struggle to navigate online systems. The Post reported that 73 million retired and disabled Americans rely on SSA telephone support to access their benefits.
Wednesday's report came as congressional Republicans are proposing steep spending cuts in order to pay for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts.
President Donald Trump championed the House GOP's proposal while also promising not to make cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security in pursuit of his political agenda. But the Congressional Budget Office said last week that Republicans won't be able to meet their targets without also slashing Medicaid and Medicare benefits that millions of Americans rely on.
Musk, meanwhile, amplified debunked claims about Social Security this week and suggested that $500 billion to $700 billion in government waste needs to be slashed.
"Most of the federal spending is entitlements," Musk told the Fox Business Network. "That's the big one to eliminate."
He also repeated the false claim that there are "20 million people who are definitely dead marked as alive in the Social Security database."
There is no evidence that Social Security payments are going to a large number of dead people.
Acting SSA commissioner pushed back on Musk's claims as well, saying, "The reported data are people in our records with a Social Security number who do not have a date of death associated with their record. These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits."
What People Are Saying
Trump said at a February press briefing in Florida: "We have millions and millions of people over 100 years old" who are getting Social Security benefits. "They're obviously fraudulent or incompetent. If you take all of those millions of people off Social Security, all of a sudden we have a very powerful Social Security with people that are 80 and 70 and 90, but not 200 years old."
Paul Barrett, deputy director of the Stern Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University, told the Post of Musk: "His playbook has now become quite clear. It is an extraordinary game he plays of wrecking institutions in order to dominate them."
What Happens Next
The SSA's direct-deposit changes will go into effect at the end of the month.
An agency spokesperson told the Post that the SSA is "dedicated to protecting both the public and trust funds from fraud, waste, and abuse. We continuously investigate and analyze potential threats to strengthen and secure our programs."
Update 03/12/25, 9:10 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to reflect that the SSA revised its plan to cut phone services.