Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) is demanding a formal investigation into the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) seemingly false statements about wait times for calls to the agency’s hotline.
Warren’s office analyzed 50 calls in June and found that some people waited more than three hours to speak to a representative — if they get to speak with a human at all. More than half of the calls were never answered by a human, and a majority of the calls ended when the caller was placed on hold and then dropped.
However, in July the agency claimed that average wait times to its national hotline were under 30 minutes. The Washington Post reported that the agency removed data on call wait times from its website in June.
On July 24, Warren sent a letter to SSA Acting Inspector General Michelle L. Anderson, requesting an investigation into the agency’s call wait times, data collection practices, and “if the Social Security Administration under President Trump and Commissioner [Frank] Bisignano is providing the public with accurate and complete information on wait times and other key service metrics.”
“The challenges facing Social Security recipients are compounded by the evidently misleading information that SSA reports about wait times for basic services or the lack of any information at all,” wrote Warren in her letter to the inspector general.
During a private meeting, Bisignano agreed with Warren that an audit of the agency is necessary and said that he will fully cooperate with the investigation, according to the senator’s office. Bisignano also said he was responsible for the email sent to SSA beneficiaries which included false information about how the “Big Beautiful Bill” would positively impact their benefits.
Longer call wait times are an inevitable consequence of Trump’s devastating cuts to the agency.
Since Trump took office, his administration has gutted SSA, which provides life-saving benefits to more than 55 million people. The agency administers survivor, retirement and disability benefits to millions of people, including people with disabilities, children who have lost a parent, and older Americans. An analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) found that Social Security benefits lift more people out of poverty than any other federal program.
In April, SSA announced its plan to close several regional offices and eliminate 7,000 jobs, or about 13 percent of its workforce — the largest staff cuts in the agency’s history. According to CBPP, the cuts will lead to one staffer serving over 1,400 beneficiaries. The office also no longer allows people to apply for benefits over the phone; instead, they must apply online or go in person to understaffed offices.
“Even as SSA is encouraging people to do business online, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is making changes to online identity authentication that are triggering system outages and access problems,” CBPP wrote in its analysis of the new policy.
Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” will make matters even worse for the millions of people who rely on Social Security benefits. The legislation will rapidly deplete funds from the agency, leading to a dramatic reduction in benefits within ten years, according to a report by the watchdog group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The group estimates a 24 percent cut in benefits for retirees in late 2032.
During the presidential campaign, Trump said he “would not be touching Social Security.” That, apparently, was a lie.
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