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HERE COMES TRUMP’S PRIVATIZATION OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY
ADMINISTRATION  
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Jessica Corbett
March 4, 2025
Common Dreams
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_ "After years of hard work and a lifetime of contributions, our
seniors shouldn't have to worry about Republicans meddling with their
Social Security," said one House Democrat. _

Members of the American Federation of Government Emloyees protest
proposed cuts in Social Security staffing and services., AFGE

 

A leaked email from acting Social Security Administration Commissioner
Leland Dudek on Tuesday sparked a fresh wave of warnings about U.S.
President Donald Trump
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government-gutting billionaire Elon Musk
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_The xxxxxx_, an anti-Trump conservative news outlet, obtained
Dudek's March 1 email to staff, which reportedly
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in part that "we need to revitalize SSA operations by streamlining
activities, outsource nonessential functions to industry experts, and
reinstating human judgment and common sense into every decision at
every level."

While Dudek did not elaborate on what outsourcing "nonessential
functions" will look like, according to _The xxxxxx_, Martin
O'Malley, who led the agency under former President Joe Biden, warned
that it could involve automation and the use of artificial
intelligence to replace call centers staffed by people trained to help
seniors and other beneficiaries sort out complex problems.

O'Malley also said that SSA employees he knows report a "toxic" work
environment. He told the _The xxxxxx_ that "they are driving people
out there with a viciousness that I believe will collapse the agency,"
which could result in an "interruption of benefits."

"We have a 50-year low in staffing while the baby boomer generation is
swelling their ranks," O'Malley said. "That's the underlying reality
here, and these guys appear hell-bent on breaking it. It seems they
really want to break Social Security."

The former SSA commissioner isn't alone in expressing serious concerns
about Dudek, the president, and Musk, head of the
so-called Department of Government Efficiency
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administration's attack on federal agenices.

Responding to _The xxxxxx_'s reporting on the Musk-owned social
media site X, House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard
Neal (D-Mass.) said
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years of hard work and a lifetime of contributions, our seniors
shouldn't have to worry about Republicans meddling with their Social
Security. This is an attack on our nation's seniors—plain and
simple."

Also weighing in on X, Congressman Mark Pocan
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way, shape, or form, should we privatize any aspect of Social
Security."

Concerns have mounted following a series of events last week,
including a wave of Social Security Administration leaders retiring
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the agency telling
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it would be implementing an "organizational restructuring that will
include significant workforce reductions." The SSA confirmed a goal to
have only 50,000 workers, which requires forcing out 7,000 people.

"With that came an announcement that the agency will consolidate its
current 10 regional offices down to four, as well as reorganize
headquarters," _Government Executive_reported
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"And Elon Musk's DOGE
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leases for 45 field offices across the country, as well as the Office
of Hearings Operations in White Plains, New York."

House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John
Larson (D-Conn.) this week led a letter
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Dudek signed by over 150 of the chamber's Democrats, who warned that
office closures and layoffs "will devastate SSA's ability to serve the
public and deliver Social Security payments, inflicting backdoor
benefit cuts on the American people."

"Social Security helps approximately 70 million
beneficiaries—including seniors, people with disabilities, children,
and their families—put food on the table, pay the rent, heat their
homes, cover medical bills, and more," the House Democrats wrote.
"Shuttering field offices and gutting SSA staffing has nothing to do
with 'governmental efficiency.'"

Like O'Malley, they cited the already low staffing level that has led
to customer service issues at the SSA. They stressed that office
closures "and gutting staff would only deepen the crisis, chaos, and
confusion. If the Trump administration is serious about efficiency in
delivering benefits to the American people, it would ensure that SSA
has the staff and offices needed to serve the public."

Senate Democrats are also sounding the alarm. _Government
Executive_noted
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during a Monday press conference, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) accused
Trump and Musk of "taking a wrecking ball" to the SSA while Sen. Ron
Wyden (D-Ore.) warned that their actions are "a prelude to
privatization."

_Jessica Corbett is a senior editor and staff writer for Common
Dreams._

* Social Security
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* privatization
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