April 12, 2025
The transfer to shift bulletins solely to its social media account comes because the SSA plans to chop practically all its workers.
On April 10, the Social Safety Administration indicated that it could be utilizing Elon Musk’s social media platform X (Twitter) to make bulletins going ahead as an alternative of posting memos or press releases to its web site, which spurred some outraged reactions on-line.
In accordance with Wired, the transfer to shift bulletins solely to its social media account comes because the SSA plans to chop practically all its workers—as a lot as 87% of its workers–the transfer might additionally negatively affect the power of remaining staffers to do their jobs.
As one nameless worker indicated to the outlet, it’s exceptional that an company that primarily serves senior residents appears to anticipate them to navigate smartphones or social media platforms to get very important updates.
“Do they actually anticipate senior residents will be part of this platform?” one present worker requested. “Most managers aren’t even on it. How isn’t this a battle of curiosity?”
Senator Elizbeth Warren tweeted, “Proper, as a result of Grandma is on X. That is corruption, plain and easy.”
One other worker raised issues concerning the general public going with out very important updates, “This can make sure that the general public doesn’t get the knowledge they should keep up-to-date.”
In the meantime, in a gathering with managers throughout the week of April 11, Linda Kerr-Davis, the SSA Regional Commissioner, appeared to point an absence of forethought about how the nation’s seniors would entry needed data.
“We’re not planning to situation press releases or these expensive colleague letters to tell the media and public about programmatic and repair adjustments,” Kerr-Davis stated. “As an alternative, the company shall be utilizing X to speak to the press and the general public…so this can develop into our communication mechanism.”
Liz Huston, a White Home spokesperson, tried to spin each of those developments, telling Wired that their reporting was deceptive.
“This reporting is deceptive. The Social Safety Administration is actively speaking with beneficiaries and stakeholders,” Huston stated. “There has not been a discount in workforce. Somewhat, to enhance the supply of companies, workers are being reassigned from regional places of work to front-line assist – allocating finite sources the place they’re most wanted. President Trump will proceed to at all times defend Social Safety.”
The company presently staffs 547 staff throughout nearly a dozen regional places of work, however after the cuts, that quantity is anticipated to dwindle all the way down to roughly 70 staff, which Kerr-Davis appeared to acknowledge would disrupt how the workload is dealt with by the SSA’s staff.
“We all know that you simply all depend upon these of us to handle your entrance line, to assist with questions,” stated Kerr-Davis, who works out of the Kansas Metropolis regional workplace. “I’m going to be fairly candid right here in sharing that the assist shall be fairly minimal till we will get up our skinny regional workplace.”
She continued, studying a query from one staffer earlier than continuing along with her reply. “Gained’t shedding material consultants lead on to fraud, waste, and abuse?” the staffer requested.
Kerr-Davis answered, “And sure, I imply, we do depend on [their] assist…Issues are going to interrupt, and so they’re going to interrupt quick.” Kerr-Davis additionally indicated that the directive had come from above her pay grade, telling staff “I do know this most likely sounds very international to you. It did to me as properly. It’s not what we’re used to, however we’re in numerous occasions now.”
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