Understaffing at the Social Social Administration already causes recipients to spend hours on hold and suffer months of delays when trying to address issues with their benefits, and cuts planned by the Trump administration would make things significantly worse, U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, D- San Juan Capistrano, said Friday morning in Oceanside.
“Hands off Social Security,” he said standing outside the Oceanside Senior Center on Country Club Lane.
Levin’s appearance came after reports that the Trump administration could cut up to 50% of the Social Security Administration’s workforce.
On Friday, the Social Security Administration released a statement saying rumors of a 50% reduction were false, and it had a goal of reducing the workforce from 57,000 to 50,000.
“The agency plans to reduce the size of its bloated workforce and organizational structure, with a significant focus on functions and employees who do not directly provide mission critical services,” the statement read.
“So what happens if Elon Musk gets his way and the Social Security Administration lays off up to half its workforce and closes offices across the country?” Levin said, referring to the person leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been making cuts to federal workplaces and programs this past month. “Wait times will skyrocket. Offices will close. Phones won’t get answered. They already can take months to process claims and appeals, and with fewer workers that can stretch into years.”
Levin said there are eight Social Security field offices in San Diego County and 1,600 nationwide, and his district alone has more than 137,000 Social Security recipients, including 113,000 retirees, 7,108 disabled workers and 4,631 children.
While new leadership at the Social Security Administration refers to the organization as bloated, speakers who joined Levin on Friday painted a different picture.
“They’ve been understaffed the last 20 years, and he’s talking about cutting more agents, more field offices,” said Susan Dixon, president of the California Retired Teachers Association. “Closing the field offices will be devastating for our members and for all elderly in Social Security. It will push more of our seniors into poverty.”
Dennis Martinek, who is retired from teaching economics at Palomar College and CSU San Marcos, also joined Levin and told of the months of frustration he faced when dealing with Social Security after his wife, who taught at MiraCosta College and UC San Diego, was told her Medicare Part B had been dropped at a time when she had surgeries scheduled.
Martinek praised field office workers as hard-working and professional, unlike how they have been portrayed lately by some politicians. He said he and his wife, Suzy, spent five months trying to straighten out an error before turning to Levin’s office, which helped get her benefits back in four months.
The statement released by the Social Security Administration on Friday said its regional structure of 10 offices was no longer sustainable, and it was reducing its structure to four regional offices.
The statement also said agencies are required to submit reduction-in-force plans to the Office of Personnel Management by March 13, but no date had been set for when the plans might be approved.
Levin said he hoped the public and other elected officials, including Republicans, will speak out before March 13 to protest cuts that he said could be catastrophic to Americans who rely on Social Security benefits.
Besides uncertainty about the number of layoffs, Levin said there was more confusion when the DOGE website listed the Carlsbad Social Security field office as closed.
There is no Social Security field office in Carlsbad, but one in Oceanside remains open, Levin said, adding that Social Security does have a small administrative office in Carlsbad.
Also in North County on Friday morning, a coalition of constituents in the 48th Congressional District gathered for the third rally this month outside the Escondido office of Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, to demand that he hold a public town hall in his district.
“It is critical for Congressman Issa to engage with his constituents and address the pressing issues we face,” Pam Albergo of Indivisible North County San Diego said in a news release before the rally. “We believe in the importance of open dialogue and accountability in our democracy.”
The press release also said rally attendees planned to walk to Mission Avenue and wave signs to raise awareness about several issues, including the firing of federal workers and the dismantling of the Department of Education and USAID.
Rally participants also planned to highlight Issa’s recent vote in favor of a budget that that could strip $80 billion from Medicaid, according to the press release.
