A number of experts and politicians have commented that if DOGE starts firing large numbers of people at the Social Security Administration, payments could be interrupted.
The loudest voice about severe problems was Martin O’Malley, the SSA commissioner during the Biden administration, who said, “Outsiders who are unfamiliar with nuances of SSA programs are making decisions and that they will make mistakes.”
That chorus just got louder. Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden warned Frank Bisignano, the nominee to lead the Social Security Administration, that he would be responsible if staff cuts interfere with the agency’s ability to process and disburse benefit checks, according to CNBC. They wrote, “As President Trump’s nominee for SSA Commissioner, you will be responsible if the Trump Administration’s attacks on the program result in failures or delays in getting Americans their Social Security checks — in other words, a backdoor cut to benefits,”
Very few people believe that the administration will permanently cut benefits, at least for now. But delayed payments would be a catastrophe, nonetheless. In January 2025, roughly 73 million people received Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits. Approximately 40% of these have Social Security as their only income.
The Security Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported that without Social Security, nearly 4 in 10 adults aged 65 and older would have incomes below the official poverty line. Any extended interruption of benefits could leave them without food and shelter.
At this point, there appears to be almost no chance Social Security payments will be eliminated. Looking into the future, Social Security “runs out of money” in 2035, meaning the benefit paid will drop to about 73% of the current total. However, if there is enough disruption in the number of people at the SSA, or they are asked to change how the system is operated, Americans face a period during which they will not be paid on time.
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