{"id":1052221,"date":"2025-03-25T12:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T16:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1052221"},"modified":"2025-03-25T12:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T16:28:09","slug":"long-waits-waves-of-calls-web-crashes-trump-and-musk-are-breaking-down-social-security-blocking-seniors-from-accessing-their-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/long-waits-waves-of-calls-web-crashes-trump-and-musk-are-breaking-down-social-security-blocking-seniors-from-accessing-their-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cLong Waits, Waves of Calls, Web Crashes\u201d: Trump and Musk Are \u201cBreaking Down\u201d Social Security, Blocking Seniors From Accessing Their Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Donald Trump and shadow President Elon Musk are trying to take Social Security apart brick-by-brick, effectively cutting off many seniors from their hard-earned benefits. Their latest reckless mass firings and funding cuts have left seniors battling \u201cinsurmountable obstacle[s]\u201d<\/a> to access their benefits and waiting hours \u2013 if not days \u2013 to speak to staff. While Trump and Musk push another round of handouts for billionaires, they\u2019re busy gutting a lifeline for millions of American seniors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a look at how Trump and Musk are risking benefits for 73 million Americans:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington Post<\/a>: \u201cLong waits, waves of calls, web crashes: Social Security is breaking down\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days<\/strong> this month, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts<\/strong> because the servers were overloaded. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones at the front desk as receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. But the agency no longer has a system to monitor customers\u2019 experience with these services, because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk.<\/strong> \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe turmoil is leaving many retirees, disabled claimants and legal immigrants who need Social Security cards with less access or shut out of the system altogether<\/strong>, according to those familiar with the problems. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDepending on the time of day, a recorded message tells callers that their wait on hold will last more than 120 minutes or 180 minutes.<\/strong> Some report being on hold for four or five hours. <\/strong>A callback function was only available three out of 12 times when a reporter for The Post called the toll-free line last week, presumably because the queue that day was so long that the call would not be returned by close of business.<\/strong> … <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Axios<\/a>: \u201cSocial Security rushing service cuts at White House request, sources say\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome of the most vulnerable Americans \u2014 including people who are hospitalized, kids in foster homes and those living in remote areas \u2014 will face more hurdles applying for disability benefits \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome beneficiaries could effectively be blocked from receiving benefits, per an internal Social Security memo<\/strong> \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business Insider<\/a>: \u201cSocial Security is telling its staff that customer service is about to get a lot worse\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLines at your local Social Security office are about to get a lot longer <\/strong>\u2014 if it survives a wave of closures brought on by funding cuts under the Trump administration. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cActing Deputy Commissioner for Operations Doris Diaz told SSA staff on March 13 that recent reductions in phone service could lead 75,000 to 85,000 additional visitors a week to show up at local field offices<\/strong> in order to file Social Security claims. \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver 73 million people claim Social Security, many of which rely on it as their primary source of income.<\/strong> Economists, policy analysts, and former and current SSA staff members told BI that the policy changes could be an insurmountable obstacle for seniors, making it harder for some to receive the checks they need to afford housing, groceries, and other basics.<\/strong>\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Donald Trump and shadow President Elon Musk are trying to take Social Security apart brick-by-brick, effectively cutting off many seniors from their hard-earned benefits. Their latest reckless mass firings and funding cuts have left seniors battling \u201cinsurmountable obstacle[s]\u201d to access their benefits and waiting hours \u2013 if not days \u2013 to speak to staff. While […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1052221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cLong Waits, Waves of Calls, Web Crashes\u201d: Trump and Musk Are \u201cBreaking Down\u201d Social Security, Blocking Seniors From Accessing Their Benefits - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/long-waits-waves-of-calls-web-crashes-trump-and-musk-are-breaking-down-social-security-blocking-seniors-from-accessing-their-benefits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-25T16:28:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png?w=1024\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/long-waits-waves-of-calls-web-crashes-trump-and-musk-are-breaking-down-social-security-blocking-seniors-from-accessing-their-benefits\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/long-waits-waves-of-calls-web-crashes-trump-and-musk-are-breaking-down-social-security-blocking-seniors-from-accessing-their-benefits\/\",\"name\":\"\u201cLong Waits, Waves of Calls, Web Crashes\u201d: Trump and Musk Are \u201cBreaking Down\u201d Social Security, Blocking Seniors From Accessing Their Benefits - 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