The US government agency responsible for providing benefits to tens of millions of older Americans has announced plans to reduce its workforce by 7,000 employees as part of the Trump administration's broader effort to downsize the federal workforce.  

The Social Security Administration (SSA), which distributes monthly payments to 73 million retired and disabled Americans, stated that it will cut more than 12% of its staff.

"The agency plans to reduce the size of its bloated workforce and organizational structure, with a significant focus on functions and employees who do not directly provide mission critical services," the SSA announced in a statement.

It added that it "recently set a staffing target of 50,000, down from the current level of approximately 57,000 employees."

Additionally, the SSA confirmed plans to reduce the number of its regional offices from 10 to 4.

As a key provider of benefits to elderly Americans, the agency has traditionally been considered off-limits for budget cuts by US politicians.

During his re-election campaign, President Donald Trump repeatedly pledged that Social Security would not be affected by his administration’s efforts to reduce government spending.

On Friday, two dozen senior SSA staff members resigned, according to an internal memo written by Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters.  

Dudek assumed leadership of the agency after the previous acting commissioner, Michelle King, resigned over concerns about members of billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE gaining access to SSA's computer systems, which store the personal data of tens of millions of Americans.

The Trump administration and DOGE have already reduced the federal civilian workforce by more than 100,000 employees through a combination of layoffs and buyouts. Trump and Musk have argued that the federal government is excessively large and inefficient.

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