Former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley warned that millions of Americans may soon face delays in receiving their Social Security payments.
He pointed to massive staff cuts and administrative mismanagement under the Trump-era government as the reason behind the looming crisis.
O’Malley, who served as SSA Commissioner from 2023 to 2024 under President Biden, shared this warning at a town hall event in Long Island on Monday.
He said, “I truly believe there’s going to be some interruption of benefits for a while, and I believe that will probably happen very shortly.”
Why This Is a Big Concern?
Over 70 million Americans depend on Social Security benefits every month—this includes retirees, people with disabilities, and surviving family members. For many of them, these payments are their main or only source of income.
If even a short delay happens, it could cause serious financial trouble for millions, especially older adults and vulnerable groups.
What’s Causing the Trouble?
The main issue is a federal initiative, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), launched during Donald Trump’s presidency.
This initiative aimed to cut government spending. As part of this, the SSA had to reduce staff by around 12%—about 7,000 positions.
These cuts have caused:
- Slower claim processing
- Website and system outages
- Reduced customer service availability
O’Malley warned that these ongoing issues could soon lead to payment disruptions.
What Officials Are Saying?
At the same Long Island event, U.S. Representatives Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi echoed O’Malley’s concerns. Suozzi even questioned the decision to cut so many jobs just to save 0.06% of the federal budget.
However, Lee Dudek, the acting SSA commissioner, defended the cuts. He said the agency had become inefficient and needed urgent reforms. “For too long, SSA has operated on autopilot,” he said in a recent press release.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who is involved in leading cost-cutting under DOGE, added fuel to the fire by calling Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time” on a podcast with Joe Rogan. This statement drew heavy criticism from lawmakers like Senator Bernie Sanders.
Sanders responded by accusing Musk of trying to dismantle one of America’s most trusted programs to benefit private investors.
Experts Share Their Concerns
Financial expert Michael Ryan said O’Malley’s warnings should be taken seriously. “The mix of big staffing cuts, office closures, and system failures is dangerous. This could be the first time we see real interruptions in Social Security payments,” he told Newsweek.
Other experts like Kevin Thompson and Alex Beene mentioned that while payments haven’t been delayed yet, the pressure on the system is growing.
Online application systems have created problems for older users, and fewer employees are now expected to handle more work.
Beene noted, “People have paid into this system their entire lives. They won’t tolerate missed checks or slower services.”
What’s Next?
As of now, there’s no official delay in payments. But the internal shakeup at SSA is already affecting services. Key research partnerships have ended, and internal offices have been shut.
Experts argue that the agency was already operating efficiently, spending less than 1% of collected funds on administration. So, further cuts are likely to impact core functions.
O’Malley stressed that Congress must act quickly. He believes public outrage will grow if delays happen. “People are going to put pressure on the very lawmakers who allowed this to happen,” he said.
Disclaimer- Our team has thoroughly fact-checked this article to ensure its accuracy and maintain its credibility. We are committed to providing honest and reliable content for our readers.