WASHINGTON, April 1 – Ahead of the Senate Finance Committee’s vote to advance Trump’s nominee to be Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Senate Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy, today released new findings exposing the stark reality of Elon Musk’s plans to cut the SSA by up to 50 percent. These disastrous cuts are taking place at a time when Social Security’s staff is already at a 50-year low.
Under Musk’s policies, the number of people who will die waiting for benefits could more than double from nearly 30,000 in 2023 to up to 67,000. Average wait times for Social Security disability benefits will nearly double from an average of 236 days in February of 2025 to 412 days.
“President Trump and Elon Musk have suggested that ‘millions and millions’ of dead people receive Social Security checks. That is an outrageous lie designed to undermine Americans’ faith in Social Security,” said Sanders. “Here’s the truth: 30,000 people die a year waiting for an understaffed Social Security to approve disability benefits. The Trump-Musk plan to cut Social Security’s staff by up to 50 percent will make this tragic reality even worse, and Frank Bisignano is there to see it through. We cannot let that happen.”
In 2023, 5,252 full time employees were responsible for making disability determinations at SSA, a workforce which has steadily decreased from previous years. Even before DOGE started making cuts to SSA, the number of people who died waiting for a benefit decision grew from 10,000 to 30,000 from 2017 to 2023. Meanwhile, Americans have had to wait longer than ever to get their benefits. During that same time, the average wait time for a decision grew exponentially – from 111 days to 217 days. In February 2025, Americans had to wait an average of 236 days for a determination.
Instead of making the federal government work for the American people, the Trump administration and Elon Musk want to make SSA less efficient by cutting as much as 50 percent of its staff. Using SSA data and regarding initial decisions disability benefits for 2025, Musk’s reported plans to lay off Social Security employees will result in:
- Nearly 67,000 people dying and
- A 412 day wait.
Sanders concluded: “Instead of slashing Social Security’s staff, closing down Social Security field offices, we should be making it easier, not harder, for seniors and people with disabilities to receive the Social Security benefits that they have earned and deserve.”
Read the full report here.
