WASHINGTON – Former Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Martin O’Malley has sounded the alarm over President Donald Trump’s handling of the nation’s retirement benefits, warning that while Trump claims he “won’t touch” Social Security, his policies are actively dismantling the system.
On Monday, MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace highlighted a recent report from a former SSA official revealing that millions of taxpayers’ data were exposed due to actions taken by aides within Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative.
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Trump created DOGE by executive order upon taking office, with the initiative aimed at cutting costs and streamlining government agencies. However, critics argue that it has led to upheaval and dysfunction across multiple departments, including the SSA. Under DOGE’s directive, websites, grants, programs, and employees have been slashed or frozen, with Trump promising the moves will save taxpayers trillions.
“They are driving employees out of Social Security as fast as they possibly can,” said O’Malley, a former Maryland governor and presidential candidate. “Mass firings of entire divisions of Social Security. The entire Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, the entire Office of Customer Service Transformation, telling people they’re all being fired for cause. Get a cardboard box. Get out today. No, you can’t be assigned anyplace else.”
O’Malley also noted that approximately 40 percent of SSA employees are eligible for retirement and are being offered incentives to leave immediately, paid through the end of the year if they resign now.
“No need for knowledge transfer. No need to tell us what you understand about how the architecture of this place is put together. Leave now,” O’Malley said. “I truly believe that they are trying to crater this agency and that they are driving it to a total system collapse. That is going to happen a lot sooner rather than later.”
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As of Friday, the wait time for appointments to review Social Security claims stood at approximately 30 days, according to automated recordings from SSA offices. For those seeking disability claim information, the estimated wait time ranged from 200 to 230 days.
With concerns mounting over the administration’s actions, the future of Social Security remains uncertain, as lawmakers and former officials warn of potential long-term consequences for retirees and disabled Americans reliant on the program.
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