Press Release On Transparency And Accountability -- So, Uh, What Are You Doing About The 800 Number Wait Times Apart From Encouraging Employees Who Answer The Phones To Quit?

Press Release

Social Security Increases Transparency and Accountability
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced today several new initiatives and resources to promote greater transparency and accountability.

“President Trump has been clear that good government must serve the People. This begins with being transparent in how its government makes decisions and operates as good stewards of the resources entrusted to it,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “With this guiding principle in mind, Social Security is taking several important steps to increase transparency and accountability in order to help others understand our agency’s work and the complexities we navigate.”

What to Know about Proving Your Identity: SSA recently announced it is strengthening identity proofing requirements for people who do not use a personal my Social Security account to apply for cash benefits or to change direct deposit information for benefits. To help the public understand the new policy, SSA today published a new webpage, What to Know about Proving Your Identity | SSA.

Weekly Operational Report Meetings: Acting Commissioner Dudek meets with his senior leadership team throughout the week to tackle a range of challenges facing the agency. During the Weekly Operational Report (WOR) meeting, leaders focus on specific topics, the options presented to the acting commissioner, and the resulting decisions made during these meetings. Beginning March 14, 2025, each WOR is recorded and published to SSA’s YouTube channel. The WOR Playlist is available here: SSA Weekly Operational Report Meetings

Agency Actions: Acting Commissioner Dudek also published online a summary of select agency challenges, options presented, and the Acting Commissioner’s ultimate decisions. SSA plans to update this page periodically to include notable matters the current Administration is solving. Agency Actions | SSA

National 800 Number Wait Times: The American people do not receive the prompt customer service they deserve when calling the agency’s 800 number. Despite the knowledge, dedication, and experience of SSA’s telephone representatives, customers wait too long to speak with a representative. People deserve to know the wait time challenges they will face if unable to use the agency’s secure and convenient online services. Acting Commissioner Dudek is increasing the level of detail shared with the public to provide an honest and transparent view of wait times. Social Security Performance | SSA and Contact Social Security By Phone

Efficiencies and Cost Avoidance: SSA works closely with the General Services Administration to identify unused and underutilized office space. SSA published its Efficiencies and Cost Avoidance webpage that lists soft-term lease terminations, including an explanation for each location and whether any change affects the public or not. For nearly all locations, the space being terminated is only a small room within the larger Social Security office location.

Workforce Update: SSA identified opportunities to optimize its workforce by offering voluntary opportunities to depart the agency or move to a frontline customer service position. The Workforce Update | News | SSA webpage briefly explains each voluntary option and how many employees accepted that option.

Afternoon Roundup

     There are so many news articles coming out about Social Security that it's hard to keep up. Let me share a few that seem notable to me:

• MSN --  Trump’s nominee to lead Social Security Administration to face questions over DOGE cuts
• Paul Krugman --  Social Security: A Time for Outrage
• Government Executive --  Regional boards for federal agency coordination officially disbanded 
• Michigan Live -- AARP calls latest Social Security changes ‘deeply unacceptable.’ Will you be impacted? 
• CNBC --  Senators press Trump Social Security nominee on his views about privatizing the agency
• WSJ -- Dealing With Social Security Is Heading From Bad to Worse

DOGE Can’t Find Fraud

      The Washington Post has a nice article about the fruitless DOGE efforts to find fraud at Social Security. It discusses a special recent effort to contact recipients over 100. It says there were only 1,294 of them. That number sounds far too low to me.

Astrue On NPR

      Former Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue appeared on NPR this morning to talk about the struggles that the agency faces at the moment. He said “They don’t understand” a lot. By the way, Astrue had to go to his local Security Security field office recently.

Hear, Hear. Seriously, Listen To This

      Take a listen to this 31 minute podcast interview with Laura Haltzel, a former Associate Conmissioner at Social Security who left the agency over the horrible changes brought about by the Trump Administration. Her testimony about the horrible pressures placed on agency employees is especially striking.

     Haltzel should be lauded for her bravery in speaking out. The Trump Administration has dealt with its critics in extraordinary brutal ways.

Judge To Lee Dudek: Quit Being An Ass

 

“Fraudsters”?

      Trump’s Commerce Secretary says that if Social Security payments don’t get paid that the ones who would complain the most are “fraudsters.”

Dudek Threatens To Shut Down Agency Over Court Ruling

       From Bloomberg:

The Trump administration is threatening to all but shut down the Social Security Administration in response to a judge’s ruling blocking activities by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — an action that could delay payments to millions of beneficiaries caught in the middle of the legal battle.

Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek said the temporary restraining order issued Thursday is so broad in blocking access to data by “DOGE affiliates” that it could apply to any Social Security employee.

“My anti-fraud team would be DOGE affiliates. My IT staff would be DOGE affiliates,” Dudek said. “As it stands, I will follow it exactly and terminate access by all SSA employees to our IT systems.” …

“In an 134-page decision, a radical leftist-judge ordered Social Security Administration employees not to implement the President’s government-efficiency agenda,” said White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields. “This is yet another activist judge abusing the judicial system to try and sabotage the President’s attempts to rid the government of waste, fraud, and abuse.”  …