Summary

Leland Dudek, Trump’s newly appointed Social Security Administration (SSA) chief, has reportedly ordered plans for a 50% workforce cut, potentially closing field offices and delaying benefits.

Critics, including Rep. John Larson and advocacy groups, warn this move will disrupt services for seniors and disabled Americans. Five regional SSA commissioners are resigning in protest.

The cuts align with Elon Musk’s push for AI-driven government efficiency, despite concerns over fraud prevention and accessibility.

Critics argue this is a backdoor benefit cut to fund tax breaks for the wealthy.

  • sp3ctr4l
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    21 hours ago

    So… my only income is SSDI.

    Thats Disability.

    From my entirely self-interested POV:

    Optimistic View:

    They don’t actually directly destroy the underlying records and computer systems that keep those records and disperse payments for those already in the system, they layoff people that process new applicants and re-evaluations, and I can hopefully coast by unnoticed, at least until Congress actually passes a law to slash all payments by some fraction and/or just blanket remove a bunch of people by… some ruleset.

    Pessimistic View:

    They let Elon and the Broccoli boys in, they just break everything and well actually everything we broke was fraud and the proof is uh shut up, and I starve to death, unhoused, in… 30 to 60 days.

    Realistic View:

    Impossible to estimate in clown world.

    I will tell ya’ll that I’ve gotten my last two payments nearly a week early, completely out of sync with what their web portal says.

    Normally it varies by a day or two off of the typical payment date because of weekends or holidays or somethinf, but that is actually reflected in the web portal.

    Last two months they are not even bothering to update the date on the web portal to match the actual pay out date.

    They are terrified that the Trump admin will nuke the whole thing at any moment, and are trying to buy people time.

    Not fucking good.

    • DogWater@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      My administrative law judge hearing was rescheduled because of Carter’s death. Now I have to wait till June. I seriously wonder if it’ll exist by then.

      • sp3ctr4l
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        3 hours ago

        Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, if there’s anything you actually have the means or contacts to prepare with or for…

        What a fucking mess.

        • DogWater@lemmy.world
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          2 hours ago

          Yeah I’m trying to figure out if I could do any courrier jobs like medicine delivery or something like that

    • Cargon@lemmy.ml
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      17 hours ago

      If their actions are going to kill you then you are justified in defending yourself.

    • deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz
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      18 hours ago

      They are terrified that the Trump admin will nuke the whole thing at any moment, and are trying to buy people time.

      You’re probably lucky enough to be in the jurisdiction of someone or some team that is actually empathetic.

      Unfortunately, they’ll be the first against the wall when the doge comes.

      Good luck mon ami (from someone outside the US, looking in in horror).

      • sp3ctr4l
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        3 hours ago

        Been saying this for a year now:

        I’m open to a sham marriage for residency if you are!

        People apparently thought I was joking, as if something like this wasn’t obviously coming.

        As for jurisdiction…

        I have it set up as a direct deposit to my bank account, what with having had my car stolen and being crippled and all, makes cashing a mailed check extremely painful.

        I have no clue how the undergirding bureacracy handles it. AFAIK, it would be a federal level system, with nothing really to do with any local office, but I don’t know for sure.