Long waits, website crashes: Social Security is breaking down
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 9 April 2025
⏱️ 24 minutes
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Summary
President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk have vowed to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse they say is rampant in the Social Security Administration, a federal program that provides more than 70 million Americans with retirement or disability income.
But evidence of widespread fraud and abuse is scant, and cost-cutting at the agency has driven out experienced staff. As a result, the website is crashing, phone lines are clogged, and seniors are reporting difficulty getting the help they need to establish or update their benefits.
Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Lisa Rein, who covers the Social Security Administration for The Washington Post, about how this agency has come under fire during the second Trump administration.
Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Maggie Penman and mixed by Sean Carter.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Social Security Administration has become a main target of Elon Musk's efforts to root out fraud and shrink the government. |
| 0:09.9 | Social Security provides retirement income to tens of millions of Americans. |
| 0:14.2 | For many seniors, it's the only money they live on. |
| 0:17.2 | And politically, it's always been untouchable. |
| 0:20.1 | Which is why President Trump has promised repeatedly |
| 0:22.8 | that he's not taking away anyone's benefits. |
| 0:26.8 | Here he is talking to NBC's Kristen Welker. |
| 0:29.5 | You won't touch Medicare, Social Security? |
| 0:32.7 | No, I said to be it, we're not touching social security other than we make it more efficient, |
| 0:37.0 | but the people are going to get what they're getting. |
| 0:38.5 | Okay. |
| 0:39.1 | But a little over two months into Trump's second term, seniors say things have gotten worse, |
| 0:44.5 | especially with the agency's customer service. |
| 0:46.6 | The estimated whole time is greater than 120 minutes. |
| 0:55.2 | I was waiting on the line for three and a half hours before I hung up and heard nothing. |
| 1:02.6 | It was the same song over and over, which was horrible. |
| 1:06.7 | You have to wait like an hour and a half on my phone if you call, and if you go there, you might be a half a day. |
| 1:13.6 | So she went to make an appointment and found there weren't any available in Seattle, |
| 1:18.6 | that she would send a note to the Seattle office, and they would contact me in five to seven working days. |
| 1:25.6 | They did not do that. |
| 1:29.9 | That was Cynthia de Gross, |
| 1:32.2 | Tam Dixon, and Noel Saunders, |
... |
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