Sarah K. Burris
March 20, 2025
RAW STORY
Social Security Cards and Money (Shutterstock)
According to investigative reporter Judd Legum, many individuals must now find their way to a Social Security field office — and the new policy hasn't yet been broadcast to the public.
Writing Thursday, Legum reported that Social Security quietly enacted a policy targeting immigrants who are granted work authorization issued by the Social Security administration.
"Each year, the SSA automatically issues millions of Social Security numbers and cards to non-citizens granted work authorizations as part of an agreement between the SSA and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)," wrote Legum on X. "The agreement is known as Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE)."
ALSO READ: They've just signed Social Security's death warrant — are you ready?
On March 19, the SSA sent an email that Legum obtained stating that the EBE program for "noncitizens granted work authorization" and "newly naturalized U.S. citizens" had been "temporarily" frozen. Staff were told to implement this change in policy immediately. The email did not say when or whether the program would resume.
It means people who expect to be mailed Social Security numbers and a statement that they can legally work will now wait in vain. Applicants will now have to visit offices in person, with Legum estimating 60,000 to 75,000 extra people now flooding offices a week.
"The havoc and destruction they’re causing is no doubt going to break the agency and hurt the public," an SSA source told the reporter.
Legum also cited an internal SSA memo revealing that the field offices are already "overburdened."
It isn't the only policy that could add traffic to the offices.
The SSA announced this week that it will enforce heightened security measures.
"That policy will require people making new benefit claims to verify their ID through the internet or at a field office," Legum wrote.
If they cannot use a computer, they must verify their identity in person, Yahoo Finance confirmed.
An internal memo Legum obtained predicted the increase would be substantial and warns of "service disruption," "operational strain," and "budget shortfalls" as the policy goes into effect.
"Since the internet is not an option for many elderly or disabled people, the SSA estimates it will require an additional 75,000 to 85,000 in-person visitors per week to SSA's offices to implement the policy," Legum wrote.
Read the detailed report here.
'Fishing expedition': Judge's 'scathing' ruling bars DOGE from Social Security records
Sarah K. Burris
March 20, 2025
RAW STORY
FILE PHOTO: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arrives to the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Chip Somodevilla/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
A U.S. district court judge in Maryland stopped President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency initiative from accessing Social Security information.
According to CNBC, Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander issued a "scathing" ruling that temporarily bars the DOGE team from accessing records at the Social Security Administration.
When he came into office, Trump created DOGE by executive order and tasked tech billionaire Elon Musk with finding government reductions. That initiative has been behind the upheaval and dismantling of government agencies. Websites, grants, programs, and employees have been cut or frozen under the promise that Trump will save taxpayers trillions.
ALSO READ: They've just signed Social Security's death warrant — are you ready?
The judge said in the ruling that the team is on a "fishing expedition" that ultimately jeopardizes Americans' personal data.
“The defense does not appear to share a privacy concern for the millions of Americans whose SSA records were made available to the DOGE affiliates, without their consent,” the judge wrote.
But the ruling goes beyond mentioning DOGE employees.
CNBC noted that the temporary restraining order "blocks the Social Security Administration, acting commissioner Leland Dudek and chief information officer Michael Russo, as well as all related agents and employees working with them, from granting access to any system containing personally identifiable information."
The judge also pointed out the irony that those working for DOGE enjoy privacy from the public.
"Ironically, the identity of these DOGE affiliates has been concealed because defendants are concerned that the disclosure of even their names would expose them to harassment and thus invade their privacy," she wrote.
Read the full filing here.
Slap in the face': Pro-Trump Republican slams president’s closure of local Social Security office
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during an event to sign an executive order to shut down the Department of Education, in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Carl Gibson
Sarah K. Burris
March 20, 2025
RAW STORY
FILE PHOTO: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arrives to the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Chip Somodevilla/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
A U.S. district court judge in Maryland stopped President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency initiative from accessing Social Security information.
According to CNBC, Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander issued a "scathing" ruling that temporarily bars the DOGE team from accessing records at the Social Security Administration.
When he came into office, Trump created DOGE by executive order and tasked tech billionaire Elon Musk with finding government reductions. That initiative has been behind the upheaval and dismantling of government agencies. Websites, grants, programs, and employees have been cut or frozen under the promise that Trump will save taxpayers trillions.
ALSO READ: They've just signed Social Security's death warrant — are you ready?
The judge said in the ruling that the team is on a "fishing expedition" that ultimately jeopardizes Americans' personal data.
“The defense does not appear to share a privacy concern for the millions of Americans whose SSA records were made available to the DOGE affiliates, without their consent,” the judge wrote.
But the ruling goes beyond mentioning DOGE employees.
CNBC noted that the temporary restraining order "blocks the Social Security Administration, acting commissioner Leland Dudek and chief information officer Michael Russo, as well as all related agents and employees working with them, from granting access to any system containing personally identifiable information."
The judge also pointed out the irony that those working for DOGE enjoy privacy from the public.
"Ironically, the identity of these DOGE affiliates has been concealed because defendants are concerned that the disclosure of even their names would expose them to harassment and thus invade their privacy," she wrote.
Read the full filing here.
Slap in the face': Pro-Trump Republican slams president’s closure of local Social Security office
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during an event to sign an executive order to shut down the Department of Education, in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Carl Gibson
March 20, 2025
ALTERNET
One House Republican in a swing district is now publicly rebuking President Donald Trump's administration after one of his budget cuts directly impacted his constituents.
Acting Social Security Administration (SSA) head Leland Dudek recently announced that he would be not be renewing the lease on the agency's office in White Plains, New York when it comes up on May 31, and that he was rejecting a bipartisan effort by Reps. George Latimer (D-N.Y.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) to keep it open. Dudek attributed the closure to persistent mold issues in the building that the General Services Administration (GSA) had been unable to address.
In a letter to Dudek, both Latimer and Lawler emphasized that the White Plains office was the only one serving residents in the Lower Hudson Valley, and that closing it would make it that much harder for their constituents to be able to attend hearings that will determine their benefits. He tweeted: "Concerns about mold don’t justify abandoning folks in the Lower Hudson Valley."
"The decision to close the only Social Security Hearing Office in the Hudson Valley is a slap in the face to thousands of my constituents who rely on these services," Lawler stated. "This office handles over 2,000 backlogged cases and conducts hundreds of in-person hearings every year. Telling my constituents that they now have to travel hours to Lower Manhattan, New Haven, the Bronx or Goshen is completely unacceptable."
According to South African centibillionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the lease on the White Plains office is approximately $511,000 per year. And that lease is one of nearly two dozen cancelled for the SSA across multiple states. Similar to Reps. Latimer and Lawler, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has cautioned against closing the White Plains office, stressing that the building is vital for thousands of New Yorkers who rely on SSA benefits.
"As the only hearing office in the lower Hudson Valley region, it’s closure will negatively impact thousands of constituents who reside in these seven counties," Gillibrand wrote in a February letter. "If SSA does not open an alternative site, beneficiaries will be required to travel between 24 and 135 miles to be serviced by the closest office in New York City, Albany, New Jersey and Connecticut."
Lawler's public stance against one of Trump's budget cuts is particularly noteworthy, given that he recently lauded the administration's efforts to cut out "waste, fraud and abuse" in government agencies during a tele-town hall. The New York Republican didn't specifically talk about DOGE's cuts to the SSA, but he did tell constituents: "There are things they're doing that I think are beneficial. There are other things where I think they're going very fast, and they need to dot their i's and cross their t's before pulling the trigger."
One House Republican in a swing district is now publicly rebuking President Donald Trump's administration after one of his budget cuts directly impacted his constituents.
Acting Social Security Administration (SSA) head Leland Dudek recently announced that he would be not be renewing the lease on the agency's office in White Plains, New York when it comes up on May 31, and that he was rejecting a bipartisan effort by Reps. George Latimer (D-N.Y.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) to keep it open. Dudek attributed the closure to persistent mold issues in the building that the General Services Administration (GSA) had been unable to address.
In a letter to Dudek, both Latimer and Lawler emphasized that the White Plains office was the only one serving residents in the Lower Hudson Valley, and that closing it would make it that much harder for their constituents to be able to attend hearings that will determine their benefits. He tweeted: "Concerns about mold don’t justify abandoning folks in the Lower Hudson Valley."
"The decision to close the only Social Security Hearing Office in the Hudson Valley is a slap in the face to thousands of my constituents who rely on these services," Lawler stated. "This office handles over 2,000 backlogged cases and conducts hundreds of in-person hearings every year. Telling my constituents that they now have to travel hours to Lower Manhattan, New Haven, the Bronx or Goshen is completely unacceptable."
According to South African centibillionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the lease on the White Plains office is approximately $511,000 per year. And that lease is one of nearly two dozen cancelled for the SSA across multiple states. Similar to Reps. Latimer and Lawler, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has cautioned against closing the White Plains office, stressing that the building is vital for thousands of New Yorkers who rely on SSA benefits.
"As the only hearing office in the lower Hudson Valley region, it’s closure will negatively impact thousands of constituents who reside in these seven counties," Gillibrand wrote in a February letter. "If SSA does not open an alternative site, beneficiaries will be required to travel between 24 and 135 miles to be serviced by the closest office in New York City, Albany, New Jersey and Connecticut."
Lawler's public stance against one of Trump's budget cuts is particularly noteworthy, given that he recently lauded the administration's efforts to cut out "waste, fraud and abuse" in government agencies during a tele-town hall. The New York Republican didn't specifically talk about DOGE's cuts to the SSA, but he did tell constituents: "There are things they're doing that I think are beneficial. There are other things where I think they're going very fast, and they need to dot their i's and cross their t's before pulling the trigger."
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