Anxious retirees have been phoning AARP in droves about their Social Security benefits.
A spokesperson said that since February 1, the nonprofit has received roughly 2,000 calls a week on the issue, and “by far the number one” concern is about disruptions to checks.
“They’re really struggling to get by and Social Security is their lifeline,” Bill Sweeney, AARP senior vice president, said of older Americans who rely on Social Security benefits to make ends meet. “It’s something they paid into their entire working lives from their very first paycheck until their very last.”
The spike in calls is double AARP’s usual volume and is happening in response to the Trump administration’s workforce reductions within the Social Security Administration. Though Trump has promised his administration won’t touch benefits, retirees have reason to be concerned about the service they’ll receive from the agency.
Last month, wait times for calling Social Security averaged around an hour and 44 minutes, and Social Security administrators warned that customer service is going to get worse.
For example, one change requires beneficiaries to present identification in person rather than online to prevent fraud. However, the agency also announced it would be closing some field offices, a move that could present further challenges to seniors and disabled Americans who don’t have access to transportation or live in remote areas.
Business Insider previously spoke to Social Security employees who said the agency was already overwhelmed before the White House’s DOGE office came on the scene. Staffing has reached its lowest levels in 50 years — and demand for the agency’s services is only growing as a wave of baby boomers hit retirement age.
“There’s about 10,000 people turning 65 every single day in this country,” Sweeney told BI. “And there’s more every day than the day before. And yet the staff at Social Security is going down.”
Nearly 73 million Americans receive Social Security benefits. Around 40% of older Americans rely solely on monthly checks for their retirement income, according to the National Institute for Retirement Security. The number of Americans over the age of 65 is projected to steadily increase to 80 million in 2040.
Judith Murray, 64, is one of them. Murray previously told BI that she lives on $1,311 a month in Social Security and a $1,174 monthly SNAP allotment in central Illinois. It’s barely enough to cover essentials in a seven-person household, which includes some of her children and grandchildren and her fiancé, who recently lost his job.
Any delays in Social Security payment would jeopardize Murray’s ability to pay for housing and groceries — and she is already already behind on bills and doesn’t have any savings. Murray said that, due to a disability, she’s been relying on Social Security for several decades.
Whether it’s a supplement to retirement savings or a sole source of income, Social Security is one of the most popular federal programs with 87% of Americans saying it must remain a priority even with budget deficits.
Frank Bisignano, a seasoned finance executive, fielded questions from Democrats during Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing as Trump’s pick to head the Social Security Administration.
Bisignano vowed to continue operating the agency to serve the American people “to ensure that every beneficiary receives their payments on time, that disability claims are processed in the manner they should be.”
When asked if he had plans to denationalize the service, he said no.
“I’ve never thought about privatizing. It’s not a word that anybody’s ever talked to me about,” the Wall Street veteran continued. “I don’t see this institution as anything other than a government agency that gets run for the benefit of the American public.”
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