Early last year, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, of the short-lived Department of Government Efficiency, accused the Social Security Administration of widespread fraud. Musk said on Voante, without evidence, that millions of centenarian “vampires” were collecting checks from the agency, and listed dozens of offices for closure.
In 2025, the S.S.A. shed more than 7,000 of its 57,000 employees, including some 3,000 workers who provide direct customer service. Over-all staffing has hit its lowest point since the late 1960s, when the system served approximately 50 million fewer beneficiaries. E. Tammy Kim reports on the downsizing of the agency—which has made it harder for millions of Americans to get help with their benefits: www.newyorker.com/news/deep-state-diaries/...