Your Social Security payments are late. You might call the Social Security hotline, only to find that the chatbot isn’t much help. After numerous attempts to reach a real agent, you might end up disconnected. So, maybe you’ll drive to the nearest Social Security office, only to learn that walk-ins aren’t accepted. The earliest appointment you can get is in two months. Meanwhile, your mortgage payment is due tomorrow.
This is a nightmare that could happen to anyone—perhaps someone you know. Why? Well, both President Trump and Elon Musk have been undermining Social Security, eroding the systems that have historically protected the earnings of hard-working Americans.
It was 90 years ago when President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted Social Security into law. Over the decades, it’s survived wars, economic downturns, and health crises, but the challenges posed by Trump and Musk may be unprecedented.
That’s not just trivializing things. With over 50 years of experience in Social Security and several books written on its history, I can say that my mentors—Robert Ball, Wilbur Cohen, and Robert Myers—who started this work in the 1930s would be horrified by the damage done under Trump’s leadership.
Social Security hasn’t always been popular. George W. Bush attempted to privatize it and failed even when the Republicans controlled Congress.
It seems Trump, having learned from Bush’s defeat, aims to quietly dismantle Social Security while claiming he hasn’t made any cuts. He’s targeted the dedicated workforce at the Social Security Administration. Musk’s focus on efficiency has resulted in significant layoffs—thousands of Social Security employees, many in leadership roles, have left, leading to a damaging loss of expertise and institutional memory.
Recently, the Trump administration forced out Charles Borges, the chief data officer for Social Security, a courageous whistleblower. Borges raised concerns that Musk’s team may have sensitive Social Security data, putting it at risk of hacking.
Neither Trump nor Musk seem to grasp what it takes to run Social Security. They think replacing experienced staff with younger workers and chatbots will suffice, but they’re seriously mistaken.
The individuals they’ve chosen to steer Social Security—one calling himself a “dogee guy,” and Wall Street billionaire Frank Vignano—don’t inspire much confidence. Vignano even admitted to having to look up “Social Security” when he accepted the job. Yet, he hasn’t hesitated to make sweeping changes, like substituting human workers for untested AI systems.
Under Trump’s regime, the Social Security offices have lost approximately 20% of their staff. Many crucial metrics that have been monitored for years have ceased to be reported. Vignano has cherry-picked the data to present a positive image, but investigations reveal a much grimmer reality.
A Washington Post reporter called the Social Security hotline and found that it took eight attempts to connect with a human. In a similar survey from Senator Elizabeth Warren, most calls ended with the caller being placed on hold and ultimately disconnected—leaving them without help.
In response to these troubling findings, the Trump administration shifted to highlighting quicker call response times, a tactic that allows them to claim success while still delaying actual benefit processing.
Even before Trump took office, the Social Security Administration was struggling due to years of underfunding by Republican lawmakers. By 2023, the agency faced its worst staffing crisis ever, unable to meet increasing demand as 12,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day.
When Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, was confirmed as Social Security Commissioner in December 2023, there were signs of progress—improvements in services were finally being made. However, Vignano is now attempting to misrepresent those advances as his own achievements. Though additional staff were hired, it still wasn’t sufficient.
Rather than build on O’Malley’s successes, Trump, Musk, and Vignano have been dismantling the Social Security Agency. The remaining, mission-driven staff are working twice as hard, keeping the system afloat like it’s held together with little more than hope. But that can’t last forever.
This isn’t to induce fear but to encourage people to take action. It’s time to reach out to your elected representatives, attend local meetings, and participate in protests. Tell Trump and Musk that Americans deserve to keep their hard-earned Social Security benefits. In this country, we don’t bow to self-styled kings; we rise up and resist.
