Social Security

 Jeff Nesbitt, The Contrarian   - Elon Musk’s endgame on Social Security is now coming into focus. He intends to destroy it.

President Trump has said more than once that he has no intention of touching Social Security benefits for more than 70 million Americans.  But actions speak infinitely louder than words – and the actions directed by Musk and carried out by his Department of Government Efficiency wrecking crew at the Social Security Administration are clear; they intend to destroy the agency’s morale, create the illusion of widespread fraud in the Social Security payment system, and then move to end the most successful social safety net program in U.S. history.

“Morale is in the toilet,” an SSA employee told the Washington Post. “We all know what DOGE wants to do, which is just break us, so they can privatize us.”

The deep, massive cuts to SSA’s employee ranks – already at a 40-year low because of constant GOP attacks on the agency through the congressional appropriations process – are starting to have a soul-crushing impact on the field offices that are the backbone of the agency’s service to Social Security recipients. People are already starting to wait hours to speak to SSA workers.

“Not being able to talk to a real person [at Social Security] when you need help or your local office closing due to staffing cuts is a benefit cut—point blank,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

For those not familiar with SSA, it is a service agency. Human beings deal directly with tens of millions of Americans at central moments of their lives – the death of a spouse, disability at work, loss of income to poverty levels, or simply the decision whether to start receiving monthly Social Security benefits after the age of 65.

The agency fields 3 million calls or visits every single week, rain or shine. Every visit or call is handled by a human being. SSA employees are dedicated to serving the public directly, at every moment in their lives when they are in need of SSA service and support. It is the backbone of a social safety net for tens of millions of Americans.

When the agency sends letters to 72 million Social Security recipients, the news is trusted. Because, until now, SSA has never missed a payment, has kept meticulous salary records for every American over their lifetimes, and has responded to each and every request for information. Career staff spend their lives in service of that mission.