Social Security Administration

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Giulia Carbonaro

By Giulia Carbonaro

Senior Reporter

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The Social Security Administration (SSA) is set to close dozens of offices across the U.S. this year as part of the advisory Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) efforts to shrink the size of the federal government and cut waste.

The closures, which will span 18 states, have raised concerns over their possible impact on the agency's efficiency and the delivery of benefits that millions of Americans receive every month.

Why It Matters

According to the SSA, more than 72.5 million of Americans receive Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, including some of the most vulnerable individuals in U.S. society.

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The expansion of DOGE's efforts to cut costs in the federal government to the agency handling the Social Security program has sparked fears among experts and beneficiaries that benefits may be delayed this year and recipients may struggle to get a hold of their checks.

What To Know

The SSA, according to its own data, has about 1,200 field offices across the country. On its website, Elon Musk-led DOGE lists 47 SSA offices which are set to be closed across the U.S, many of which are concentrated in the South and the Southeast.

According to what an agency spokesperson told The Associated Press (AP) earlier this month, a majority of these offices which will not have their leases renewed were used for in-person hearings, which are being phased out as the SSA focuses on virtual hearings.

Social Security Administration

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AP obtained information about the expected closing date of only 26 out of 47 of the offices bound to be closed this year. Here they are, by state.

Alabama

Arkansas

Colorado

Florida

Georgia

Kentucky

Louisiana

Mississippi

Montana

North Carolina

North Dakota

Nevada

New York

Ohio

Oklahoma

Texas

West Virginia

Wyoming

Among the cuts recommended by DOGE, together with the closures of dozens of offices across the country, the SSA has said it will cut 12 percent of its workforce. On Tuesday, the SSA's acting commissioner Lee Dudek also announced that the agency will be cutting its phone services in a bid to combat fraud.

"We're spending the next two weeks to train our field offices to respond to these changes," he said. "These changes are not intended to hurt our customers."

What People Are Saying

Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, said in a statement shared with Newsweek, talking about the SSA's termination of telephone services for benefit claims: "President Trump, Elon Musk, and their hand-picked acting Social Security Commissioner have lost sight of who Social Security is meant to serve.

"In just two weeks, the SSA will force millions of elderly and disabled Americans to either visit understaffed and closing field offices or navigate an online-only system to access the benefits they have earned. They claim this move will reduce fraud—yet they have provided no evidence to support this assertion."

He added: "This cruel policy will create unnecessary hardships for those who need assistance the most."

Connecticut Representative John Larson, who is on the House Committee on Ways and Means subcommittees on Social Security and Work and Welfare, said in a statement: "Let me be clear—laying off half the workforce at the Social Security Administration and shuttering field offices will mean the delay, disruption and denial of benefits."

Everett Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents over 40,000 SSA employees, said in a statement in February: "If Trump and his allies were really looking for efficiency and effectiveness, they'd be investing in SSA's workforce, not dismantling it."

What's Next

The SSA's announced cuts, as the expected dates for its office closures suggest, will unfold quickly.

The impact they will have on benefits is still uncertain, but employees and experts have warned that layoffs and closures are likely to lead to delay in the issuing of monthly benefits.

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