The Social Security Administration Is Gutting Regional Staff and Shifting All Public Communications to X

[CousinIT]

The SSA’s shift to Elon Musk’s X comes as the agency plans to cut its regional office workforce by roughly 90 percent, WIRED has learned.

https://www.wired.com/story/social-security-administration-regional-office-elon-musk-x/
ARCHIVED: https://archive.ph/cY57S

The Social Security Administration will no longer be communicating with the media and the public through press releases and “dear colleague” letters, as it shifts its public communication exclusively to X, sources tell WIRED. The news comes amid major staffing cuts at the agency.

“We are no longer planning to issue press releases or those dear colleague letters to inform the media and public about programmatic and service changes,” said SSA regional commissioner Linda Kerr-Davis in a meeting with managers earlier this week. “Instead, the agency will be using X to communicate to the press and the public … so this will become our communication mechanism.”

Previously, the agency used dear colleague letters to engage with advocacy groups and third-party organizations that help people access social security benefits. Recent letters covered everything from the agency’s new identity verification procedures to updates on the accuracy of SSA death records (“less than one-third of 1 percent are erroneously reported deaths that need to be corrected,” the agency wrote, in contrast to what Elon Musk claims).

The letters and press releases were also a crucial communications tool for SSA employees, who used them to stay up on agency news. Since SSA staff cannot sign up for social media on government computers without submitting a special security request, the change could have negative consequences on the ability for employees to do their jobs.

It could also impact people receiving social security benefits who rely on the letters for information about access benefits. “Do they really expect senior citizens will join this platform?” asked one current employee. “Most managers aren’t even on it. How isn’t this a conflict of interest?” Another staffer added: “This will ensure that the public does not get the information they need to stay up-to-date.”

[hlthe2b]

1. I feel murderous... Good thing it is just a feeling, but still. My anger is boundless.

How the hell do we fight back from this car?p

[hlthe2b]

2. Elon Musk can never block a US citizen from X again, if this is not stopped.

I hope ACLU or someone take sthis on to begin with though as many elderly cannot interact with SSA this way.

[senseandsensibility]

3. Protests stopped their plans to end telephone service

We need to stop this too.