The Social Security Administration is closing offices and realigning functions within the agency as part of President Donald Trump's mandate to "eliminate wasteful and inefficient offices" and "streamline functions," according to SSA Acting Commissioner Lee Dudek.
A Social Security advocate said the closures could disrupt the agency's modernization efforts.
On Tuesday, SSA said it was closing the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity and putting the office's employees on administrative leave.
“Our focus is supporting President Trump’s priorities, which include streamlining functions and prioritizing essential work,” Dudek said. “Terminating the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, and reassigning statutory responsibilities performed by this office, advances the President’s goal to make all of government more efficient in serving the American public.”
On Monday, SSA closed its Office of Transformation and said that it would realign the functions provided by its Office of Analytics, Review and Oversight.
The Office of Transformation was responsible for "strategic guidance and oversight of enterprise-wide initiatives," including customer service projects, according to the SSA website. OARO's tasks included reviewing program effectiveness and coordinating fraud detection and prevention.
“President Trump has mandated the Federal government eliminate wasteful and inefficient offices and the Office of Transformation was a prime example,” Dudek said. “This redundant office was created under the previous administration and we are righting that wrong.”
Moving functions previously under OARO "to existing parts of the agency will streamline layers of management, increase data sharing with essential Social Security components, and speed the opportunities to identify fraud, waste, and abuse and implement needed solutions," Dudek added.
Gina Clemons, formerly the deputy commissioner for OARO, "will take the lead for SSA to engage directly with key outside stakeholders on topics including, protecting the integrity of our programs and identifying opportunities for efficiencies such as program simplification and technology," SSA announced. "These improvements will build on recommendations that DOGE team members provide the agency and help to improve how Social Security serves America."
Also, on Friday, SSA terminated its Retirement and Disability Research Consortium, or RDRC, cooperative agreements.
"This action supports the President's Executive Order, Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," SSA said.
“Terminating our RDRC cooperative agreements aligns with President Trump's priorities to end fraudulent and wasteful initiatives and contracts,” according to Dudek. “We will continue to root out waste and abuse to earn back America's trust and confidence in our agency.”
Social Security previously entered into RDRC cooperative agreements with research centers that included a focus on research addressing diversity, equity and inclusion in Social Security, retirement, and disability policy.
"Terminating these cooperative agreements results in about $15 million dollars in cost savings for hardworking Americans in fiscal year 2025," Dudek said.
'Detour' From Reform Path
“The closing of offices by the Social Security Administration, including the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity and the Office of Transformation, raises legitimate questions as to what is actually going on inside the agency, what the true agenda of Trump, Musk and DOGE is regarding Social Security, and whether these changes will hurt the 70 million Americans who depend on this program," Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Association to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, told ThinkAdvisor Tuesday.
"Under Commissioner Martin O’Malley, SSA was on a path toward improving customer service and mitigating overpayments," Richtman said. "Under the Trump administration, we appear to be on a detour from that path, potentially into chaos."
The group, Richtman continued, is "concerned that by the time President Trump’s nominee for Commissioner, Frank Bisignano, is confirmed, irreparable damage to SSA may occur — not to mention the possible abuse of beneficiaries’ personal data that Musk and DOGE have obtained.”
Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, added in another statement that "not only does Elon Musk have access to our personal information, he is now on his way to decimating the Social Security Administration. There have already been a number of dedicated career civil servants who've been fired and offices shuttered, and we fear this is only the beginning. DOGE is demanding that everyone return to the office, but they are in the process of closing those same offices, so that only makes sense if they plan to lay off a massive percentage of SSA's already inadequate workforce."
Said Altman: "This is all extremely troubling for every American who wants to access their earned benefits in person or through SSA's 1-800 number — not via unreliable, insecure AI chatbots."
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