‘It’s a big deal’: DOGE reportedly eyes changes that would ‘break' Social Security

An internal memo detailing the Social Security Administration’s proposal to revamp its phone service has come to light and could spell trouble for many retired and disabled Americans caught up in the benefits application process.

That’s according to Axios, which reported Monday that while the Trump administration has repeatedly claimed it only plans to address fraud and waste within the Social Security system, the DOGE-led plot could have a devastating effect on a system “already plagued by delays, and facing staffing cuts.”

"It is a big deal," Kathleen Romig, a former Social Security official told Axios. Romig, the director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, added that the changes “create a real Catch-22.”

The Thursday memo, which was signed by acting deputy Social Security commissioner for operations Doris Diaz on behalf of the agency's operations department, “proposes changes that will further limit what people can do by phone,” according to Axios. “Under the proposal, phone service would still be available to people who call the agency and don't need to verify their identity, like someone making a general inquiry.”

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The memo, which was obtained by Axios, admits that the proposed limitations would be “significant” especially for Americans living in rural areas. It is centered around identity verification adjustments, which can currently be completed by phone if an individual is unable to verify their identity using the only system.

Those adjustments would "cripple field office operations, and they're already badly paralyzed," according to a former Social Security Administration official, who requested anonymity from Axios because they were on the search for another job and might land back at the Social Security Administration in the future.

“Benefits are adjusted regularly as people's incomes change, they explained,” Axios reported. “Forcing all those folks to come into a field office ‘would, in essence, break the agency.’ DOGE representatives are well aware of these risks, the former official said.”

It wasn't immediately clear whether acting commissioner Leland Dudek accepted any of the recommendations or implemented the changes, the report noted.

The proposed changes are just "a way they're trying to use red tape to literally block people from getting benefits," according to Jen Burdick, a lawyer who provides free legal services for Americans trying to get Social Security disability benefits, as reported by Axios.