Former Social Security head claims DOGE will cause payment interruptions

• The former commissioner of the Social Security Administration said the Department of Government Efficiency’s reduction efforts could lead to an interruption of benefits within the next 30 to 90 days. Despite Trump’s promise to protect Social Security, the agency’s former head told beneficiaries to “start saving.”

• The Social Security Administration announced plans to reduce its workforce, aiming to streamline operations and cut costs.

• Elon Musk, under his role in DOGE, has criticized Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme.”

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A former director of the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) claims that reduction efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will lead to an interruption of benefits. The administration has reportedly never missed a payment, but the former agency head predicted it could happen in the near future.

Martin O’Malley, the former Democratic Maryland governor who former President Joe Biden tapped to run SSA, told CNBC that payment interruptions could come as soon as this spring. 

“Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits,” O’Malley said. “I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days.”

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He suggested recipients begin saving now in the event of an interruption.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised that his administration wouldn’t touch social security benefits as it works to reduce federal spending and streamline government operations. 

Under his role in DOGE, Elon Musk has referred to social security as a “Ponzi scheme.” Musk criticized the agency’s use of COBOL, a type of computer coding that has been used since the late 1950s. 

On Feb. 28, SSA announced a goal of reducing its workforce by 7,000, from roughly 57,000 employees to 50,000.

The new acting head of the agency has proposed digitizing social security cards and using call centers, according to the Wall St. Journal.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the SSA is reducing its workforce to 7,000, not by 7,000. Straight Arrow News deeply regrets this error, which has been corrected as of March 4 at 8:50 a.m. CT.