The United States Social Security has moved its public communication to the Elon Musk-owned blogging platform, X. This is coming after sweeping workforce cuts recommended by Musk under the umbrella of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) agency.
According to an anonymous source that spoke with WIRED, the government agency will no longer rely on its customary letters and press releases when relaying information to the general public. Instead, it will start using X as a means of primary communication.
SSA regional commissioner Linda Kerr-Davis issued the directive to managers in a meeting this week. “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.” She added that X will become the communication mechanism henceforth.
US Social Security plans move to X to engage the public
The agency had previously used dear colleague letters to engage with advocacy groups and third-party organizations to help people gain access to social security benefits. Recent letters from the agency covered everything about the SSA, from its new identity verification procedures to the updates on the accuracy of SSA death records.
The letters and press releases were also an important tool for communications that the SSA employees used, using these tools to stay up to date on agency news. However, the change could have a dire effect on the ability for employees to do their jobs since SSA staff cannot sign up for social media on government computers without providing a special security request.
It could also impact people receiving social security benefits who rely on the letters for information about access to these 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.”
SSA downsizes workforce to improve efficiency
The shift is coming after the SSA cut its workforce from about 57,000 employees to roughly 50,000 to reduce costs and improve efficiency. “SSA has operated with a regional structure consisting of 10 offices, which is no longer sustainable. The agency will reduce the regional structure in all agency components down to four regions. The organizational structure at Headquarters also is outdated and inefficient,” the SSA statement said.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston also responded in reaction to news of job cuts within the Social Security Administration trailing around, noting that it is misleading. “There has not been a reduction in the workforce. Rather, to improve the delivery of services, staff are being reassigned from regional offices to front-line help – allocating finite resources where they are most needed. President Trump will continue to always protect Social Security,” Huston said.
Head of DOGE, Elon Musk has accused the Social Security system of distributing billions of dollars in wrongful payments, a claim that the White House has echoed. Musk’s comments have also caused debates about the activities and future of the retirement program as he continues to push for sustainable government spending.
The Department of Government Efficiency, which has been tasked with identifying and cutting wasteful public spending through reduction of budget and personnel cuts, recently moved to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). DOGE gained access to its internal systems, with the agency noting that it is ready to cooperate with DOGE.
While Elon Musk and DOGE have been sweeping through federal agencies and cutting budgets and jobs, there have also been attacks directed towards him, with his company, Tesla, bearing the brunt. However, that has not stopped Musk, who has proposed a 20% workforce cut at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by May 15. He has also reportedly mentioned exploring the use of blockchain to limit public spending by putting the budget on-chain for transparency.
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