The Social Security program is just a decade short of its centennial, and change has been afoot at the Social Security Administration (SSA) and across the program throughout the year. The year began with the Trump administration taking office, and in the months that followed, various changes and updates were enacted at the SSA, sparking varying responses from the public, advocacy groups, and lawmakers.
In May, the agency welcomed Frank J. Bisignano—former CEO of Fiserv—as its new commissioner. Bisignano had been nominated for the role by President Donald Trump in January, and among his first tasks as SSA commissioner was overseeing processing of Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA) cases. Bisignano also shared a goal of turning the SSA into a “digital-first organization.”
Here is what you need to know about the updates and changes that have occurred at the SSA so far this year.
Recent changes at the Social Security Administration
The year started with several major transitions, the most notable being the election of the Trump administration. Alongside that shift, the Social Security Fairness Act officially took effect, repealing both the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
Because these provisions were repealed, around 3 million public-sector employees will now have their full benefits restored. The SSA began sending out payments in February, and while the agency estimated it would take at least until early November to complete processing of all SSFA-related cases, the task was successfully completed as of July 7.
Early in his tenure, Bisignano reiterated his desire to make the SSA a “digital-first organization,” and, in pursuit of that, the agency rolled out changes and updates to its phone line as well as the online portal.
On August 14, the Social Security program celebrated its 90th anniversary. In a piece written for Fox News commemorating the milestone, Commissioner Bisignano noted that in his first 100 days he had made progress improving customer service by “reducing the average wait time on the national 800 number from 30 minutes last year to single digits last month; implementing new phone systems to enable 90% of calls to be handled via self-service or convenient callbacks; shortening field office wait times by 30%; eliminating 29 hours of weekly downtime for my Social Security to allow 24/7 online management of benefits; decreasing Disability hearing wait times by 60 days, reaching historic lows; and sending over 3.1 million payments totaling $17 billion to eligible beneficiaries five months ahead of schedule under the Social Security Fairness Act.”
Criticism of Trump-era changes at the SSA
A recent AARP survey revealed that confidence in the future of the Social Security program is declining, falling from 43% in 2020 to 36% in 2025. Democrats have also become increasingly opposed to how the Trump administration is managing the SSA. As a result, Senators Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, and Ron Wyden have introduced the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act.
In a news release, the senators wrote: “For too long, the SSA has been underfunded, understaffed, and bogged down by bureaucratic hurdles that hurt ordinary Americans. While billionaires continue to rig the system in their favor, millions of hardworking seniors and disabled Americans are left struggling to access the benefits they’ve earned.”
Additionally, in an email to Newsweek, Ken Martin, Democratic National Committee chair, echoed the senators’ concerns.
“When President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law 90 years ago, he created a lifeline for the American people with a promise: work hard, and you can retire with dignity and peace of mind,” Martin wrote. “But instead of honoring his own promise to protect Social Security, Donald Trump and his administration of billionaires have done everything in their power to undermine the program. Trump and his billionaires may never have to rely on Social Security to get by—but millions of hard-working Americans do, and that’s why Democrats will always fight to protect it.”