1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

The current crisis at the Social Security Administration did not arise by accident. It is the direct result of deliberate policy decisions made by the Trump regime through the Office of Management and Budget and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which imposed staffing caps, hiring freezes, and budgetary constraints on an agency already strained by rising demand. Social Security benefits are funded by workers and employers through dedicated payroll contributions. These are earned benefits — not discretionary handouts and not welfare. When benefits are delayed or denied because claims go unprocessed and phones go unanswered, the government is failing to deliver money that belongs to the people who paid into the system. Under OMB directives and DOGE restructuring initiatives, SSA staffing levels were reduced or frozen while workloads increased. Field offices and processing centers were left without the personnel needed to handle disability determinations, retiree claims, benefit corrections, and survivor benefits. The predictable result has been massive backlogs, service failures, and unacceptable delays that now affect millions of Americans. This is not a matter of ideology. It is a matter of governance. Congress has constitutional authority over appropriations and oversight, and it must act when executive branch actions undermine the lawful operation of a critical agency. I urge Congress to: • Hold oversight hearings examining the role of OMB and DOGE decisions in creating SSA backlogs • Require full transparency on staffing levels, processing delays, and administrative directives • Restore and increase funding to meet actual workload demands • Reaffirm that Social Security benefits are earned and must be delivered promptly and reliably Every delay represents real harm — missed rent, delayed medical care, and financial insecurity — imposed on people who upheld their side of the Social Security compact. Congress must step in to correct the damage, protect beneficiaries, and ensure that executive branch actions never again cripple an agency entrusted with the public’s earned income.