From Federal News Network:
The Social Security Administration is cutting staff from its communications office, and will rely on social media posts instead of press releases to update the media and the public.
Regional SSA offices, each representing several states, will no longer have fully staffed public affairs offices, because of the agency’s mass reassignment of employees to field offices. …
“Instead, the agency will be using X to communicate to the press and the public — formerly known as Twitter,” Kerr-Davis said. “This will become our communication mechanism.” …
30 comments:
Using X requires an account! I suppose two birds one stone - lack of access to info, and can track anyone that *tries* to get info. This is absolutely abhorrent! In what universe would this be okay? What’s next? NIH, CDC, FDA all to move to solely X, too?
Silence is golden for Leland. Nothing to see here.
Is this a paid X account? If so, isn't that convenient for Elon?
WTF. They are using Elon's private propaganda machine as the primary public communication tool. This should be a scandal. Huge conflict of interest.
More $$$$ for Sleazy E!
Talk about waste and abuse! Elon making money and gaining advertising for his business by dissolving Regional SSA PR employees, is immoral and misuse of a government position. The public deserves to know what travesty he has done to internal operations and destroyed lives and careers of exprienced and , up to now, loyal employees. The destruction on SSA needs to be brought forth to the public attention now!
With the absurdity of this regime, including Dudek, I feel it is appropriate to say they can X on deez nutz.
This cannot be allowed to stand.
I don't do social media... I guess I'll just miss out. 🤷🏼♂️
So if a local paper/TV station has a question about the local SSA office, or a complaint from a reader about service, they post to X? Makes no sense unless the intent is to make SSA look bad. I'm thinking Field Reps are going to return, informally. BTW Will COSS or ACOSS eliminate their Comms staff and rely on X to answer press questions?
Setting aside the issue of using X solely, which is problematic, most media is national anymore. Local media outlets aren't what they once were, and RO public affairs wasn't saying things without CO clearance.
From "no access granted" to data shared by Musk
Using Social Security data to imply that noncitizens are breaking the law also could have violated a court order that prevents DOGE staffers from handling sensitive SSA systems.
It's the latest example of concerns among privacy activists that DOGE's sweeping access to personal and financial information of millions of Americans may violate privacy laws and may be used for inappropriate purposes.
In a March 12 declaration from the SSA's then-Chief Information Officer Michael Russo, Gracias is one of two SSA DOGE employees listed as not having access to sensitive databases or PII.
"No SSA data or personally identifiable information access, or access to systems containing such information, has been granted to Employee 6 and Employee 4," the document reads. Employee 6, listed in the record as a "Growth Equity Vice President," appears to be Jon Koval, an associate of Gracias at his venture capital firm, who is also detailed to DOGE.
What happened to meeting people where they are? Isn’t that what Bisignano promised? Who is SSA meeting on twitter?
He lied just like Trump and every stooge he put in his administration.
Yes, that's the plan. At HQ, every person in OCOMM was "strongly encouraged" to volunteer for reassignment.
https://www.wired.com/story/social-security-administration-regional-office-elon-musk-x/
“Won’t losing subject-matter experts lead directly to fraud, waste and abuse? Yes,” Kerr-Davis told employees. “Things are going to break, and they’re going to break fast."
Brave of her to speak the obvious truth like this.
How much will X get paid by the government for handling their government communications?
No one should post questions or answers SSA related on X, nor make any comments on X in relation to SSA. Elon, Trump, Vance, all of the secretaries appointed by Trump and approved so far, Congress, Senate Republicans are all EVIL, have absolutely NO morals, spines or any sense of commitment to those they are hired to serve - the public. Trump said he would be a president for all. What a crock of crap.....he's only for himself. WAKE UP PEOPLE. Our world is going to hell in a hand basket.
Me either but hopefully NOSSCR will email us what they tweet
Even if government does not pay anything they will benefit from advertising revenue due to people required to go there for information
The agency will be using X to communicate to the press and the public — formerly known as Twitter,” Linda Kerr-Davis, SSA Midwest-West regional commissioner told employees in a call Thursday, according to Federal News Network (FNN).
This will become our communication mechanism,” she told reporters.
The shift comes as communications staff at the agency has dwindled due to reassignments in front-facing roles at field offices across the country. Officials announced that regional SSA offices would no longer have fully staffed public affairs offices as a result.
“If you’re used to getting press releases and Dear Colleague letters, you might want to subscribe to the official SSA X account, so you can stay up to date with agency news,” Kerr-Davis said, as reported by FNN.
“I know this probably sounds very foreign to you — it did to me as well — and not what we are used to, but we are in different times now,” she added.
When it rains it pours department…
Trump likely to propose pay freeze for federal workers in 2026
In OMB’s response to agency budget submissions, the White House budget office told officials to prepare for a freeze on federal civilian pay next year.
There are no guarantees in life except for death, taxes, and no pay raise for federal workers in 2026.
Representatives have been using contact with the Regional Communications Offices as a back door to getting a response on delayed cases. They have been somewhat effective at getting DO's to return calls and getting particularly delayed cases at payment centers processed. It is not ideal since they should not be necessary but it is what has been used.
If this is the new plan, then yet another way to get things done is now toast.
Meh. It’s another matter that they are going to the gossip rag for official business, but other than that, whoopie. Looking at the official posted press releases page, https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/ very few of these notifications are actionable for the public. There are a couple where conditions were added to the CAL list which might spur a few to apply maybe, but honestly, those conditions are generally so catastrophic that those folks have already pursued disability services. The rest of them are just informational which a member of the public has no control to change. Others are bordering propaganda-type-put-a-spin on some change in policy. The rest seem to be the most common baby names in any given year. None of it seems very life-changing information to most of the public. Even the COLA announcements are just what they are. It’s not like granny is going to see her 2.3% increase notification and make some grand life decision based on it. She won’t know how much her Part A deduction is going to counter the increase. And if anything really pertinent pops up, other news outlets will relay the info too, if they still exist or are still allowed to.
SSA's new "communication mechanism" is the platformed owned by a man who we all know lies to public about fraud at Social Security? Any shred of credibility that remained in SSA communications has just swirled around the drain and disappeared into the sewer of misinformation and dysfunction created by this administration.
The only President in the last 40 years that didn't give fed workers a raise was Obama.
This is illegal. A government agency needs to have a communications staff independently. Who is making the statements through social media?
Obama did it to bring down the federal deficit but Trump is doing it to help pay for the 4.5 trillion tax cut that mostly benefit the wealthy. There is a big difference.
Still no reason for me to have an X acct. Whatever is posted there will be posted on the SSA website or in the news or even here in the blog. Since I dont feel the need to have to know everything the exact second it happens, I will continue to ignore X like i have since it began.
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