The Social Security Administration (SSA) has been having something of an eventful year thus far, from staffing cuts to office closures, and even multiple changes in leadership — things have been abuzz at the agency that is responsible for issuing monthly benefit checks to some 72.5 million vulnerable individuals all over the country.
The role of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) within the SSA also stirred up a fair amount of controversy and concerns from critics and beneficiaries alike. Whilst DOGE was created and tasked with the duty of slashing federal spending, many began fearing the cutbacks at the SSA would potentially result in a reduction or delay to benefit payments. DOGE criticism was further bolstered by the department’s attempt to access the personal information of Social Security recipients.
After former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley’s resignation from his post in November 2024, the SSA had two acting commissioners in the interim before Frank Bisignano was officially elected as SSA Commissioner in May. Now that the role of SSA Commissioner has been fulfilled, lawmakers are posing questions regarding the future of the agency and its ability to consistently roll out payments in the future. Here is what Commissioner Bisignano hopes to achieve in his new role.
Social Security Commissioner aims for “digital-first” agency
Bisignano was nominated for the SSA Commissioner role in January by President Trump himself. As a result of DOGE pursuits — headed at the time by Elon Musk — the SSA let go of around 7,000 employees and the agency currently has its lowest headcount on record in 50 years. Bisignano has shared that his goals for the agency are technologically driven and through this, the agency would be able to operate functionally with a smaller workforce.
“Increased staffing is not the long term solution,” Bisignano explained to lawmakers, “We will do this by becoming a digital-first, technology-led organization that puts the public as our focal point.”
However, whilst Commissioner Bisignano has stated that increased staffing will not help the situation at large, he has also confirmed that there are no immediate plans for any further cutbacks or reductions in force. In an address to managers held last month, Bisignano stated the following, “I have no intent to RIF people. If I wake up and find out we can do all our work with 20,000 people — which I can’t see that right now — we’ll be 20,000. If I wake up and say, ‘We need 80,000,’ we’ll be 80,000. I’ve got to determine what the right staffing level is.”
In this same address, Bisignano further shared his plans to overhaul the SSA website to allow for more queries to be answered online, thereby saving beneficiaries, particularly vulnerable ones such as retirees or disabled individuals, a trip to a field office. Regarding this, Bisignano stated, “We’re never going to be client-first if we’re not digital-first in this era. That’s the only way we’re going to win. You’re competing with experiences that people have with Amazon. If I can get something done at Amazon, why can’t I get something done the same way with Social Security? That’s how people think.”
Trust fund projected shortfall
Whilst there is no doubt overhauling the website and incorporating digitization to the SSA’s processes will have its benefits in terms of efficiency, Commissioner Bisignano may have much bigger fish to fry very soon if Congress does not intervene regarding the matter of the Social Security trust fund — particularly the Old Age and Survivors Trust Fund.
According to the latest annual report from trustees, the OASI trust fund is projected to run out by 2034, a year earlier than the estimates of the 2024 annual report. If no change is made and the trust fund does indeed run out in 2034, only 81% of the scheduled payments will be covered going forward from that point.
In a message to the public, the trustees wrote, “Lawmakers have many options for changes that would reduce or eliminate the long-term financing shortfalls. Taking action sooner rather than later will allow consideration of a broader range of solutions and provide more time to phase in changes so that the public has adequate time to prepare.”