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Andy Markowitz is an AARP senior writer and editor covering Social Security and retirement. He is a former editor of the Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.
As Social Security prepares to slash its workforce, AARP is urging its members to call on Congress to protect the program that provides crucial financial support to 68 million retirees, people with disabilities and members of their families.
“We’ve been hearing from thousands of older Americans across the country who are concerned and confused about their Social Security — will their payments come on time? Can they get timely answers to their questions?” says Nancy LeaMond, chief advocacy and engagement officer for AARP.
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“We want to work with Congress and the administration to get answers and address concerns,” LeaMond says. “We are also encouraging our members to contact their members of Congress and tell them that Social Security must be protected.”
AARP has created an easy way for members to contact their congressional representatives. The appeal notes that 2025 marks Social Security’s 90th birthday and calls on lawmakers “to ensure that Social Security remains reliable and strong.”
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced plans last week for a “massive” restructuring that aims to reduce the agency’s workforce of roughly 57,000 — already down by more than 9 percent since 2015 — by another 12.3 percent to 50,000.
That decade has seen a significant decline in SSA customer service, as documented in a July 2024 report from the AARP Public Policy Institute.
The average time it takes to get a decision on an initial claim for disability benefits has more than doubled since 2016, from four to eight months, and callers to Social Security’s toll-free helpline have experienced waits averaging as long as 40 minutes to speak to a representative.
The SSA also has closed or plans to close nearly four dozen offices in 24 states, according to a listing on the website of the Department of Government Efficiency, the federal office that is charged with reducing federal spending.
AARP has long called on Congress to give the SSA the resources and the flexibility it needs to address customer-service deficiencies.
Video: Congress: Protect Social Security!
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