The ongoing U.S. government shutdown is severely impacting the Social Security Administration (SSA), jeopardizing its ability to serve roughly 70 million Americans and pushing its workforce to the brink. Recent meetings reveal a crisis of confidence and escalating hardship among employees, as documented in notes obtained by WIRED. Agency leaders are becoming increasingly concerned about maintaining operations amidst a wave of employee struggles.
Employee Hardship and Morale Issues
During a recent call between SSA field office managers and field operations chief Andy Sriubas, employees openly voiced their inability to afford basic necessities like transportation to work. “People are coming to me saying they cannot put gas in their car and they cannot afford to come to work anymore, and they’ll need to get other jobs,” one manager stated. This sentiment was echoed across the country, forcing some offices to close due to staffing shortages.
Several field offices have established food pantries to assist colleagues facing financial difficulties. Managers described a sense of “anger and betrayal” among staff who feel abandoned by the federal government.
Most SSA employees are considered “excepted” from the shutdown and required to continue working without pay. However, many are hesitant to request furlough, fearing they won’t receive back pay when the government reopens. The agency’s differing standards regarding remote work, which allows for limited telework based on workload or personal circumstances, have also created tension. Employees are struggling to balance rising costs, like parking fees, with the need to continue working, often facing difficult choices between coming to work and affording essential expenses.
Backlog and Workforce Concerns
Beyond the immediate financial strain, employees expressed concern about the long-term impact on beneficiaries and the agency’s workload. Wait times for beneficiaries have significantly increased, with one office experiencing delays of up to two hours in the reception area and prolonged phone wait times.
Sriubas acknowledged that the agency could reduce workloads during the shutdown, stating that the general counsel indicated SSA was not obligated to complete all tasks. This possibility, while potentially relieving in the short term, raises fears about the backlog of cases that will need to be addressed once the shutdown ends. Maintaining employee motivation amidst these challenges is proving difficult, as staff anticipates a surge in workload after the shutdown concludes.
“It’s hard to keep morale going with the way the staff is going, and they also know that as soon as this shutdown is over, we’re going to hit ’em hard with [more work],” said one employee.
Recurring Challenges and Past Controversies
The current crisis unfolds against a backdrop of recurring challenges within the SSA. Earlier this year, WIRED reported on the deployment of operatives from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the SSA, who gained access to sensitive data sets, including Numident, which contains detailed information about anyone with a Social Security number. Numerous claims made by DOGE regarding the agency were later found to be false, and the agency’s chief data officer, Chuck Borges, filed a whistleblower complaint alleging DOGE mishandled sensitive data and uploaded confidential information to an insecure server.
“I’m invested in this organization. I love what we do, but I feel like it’s not going in the right direction, and we’re not really serving the public like we should or even our employees,” said one employee during Thursday’s management call.
The prolonged shutdown is exacerbating existing problems, undermining employee morale and threatening the SSA’s ability to fulfill its vital mission of providing essential benefits and support to millions of Americans. The situation highlights the human cost of political gridlock and the urgent need for a resolution to the ongoing crisis.
