President Trump continues to say his administration won't touch Social Security, the social safety net

that around 70 million retired and disabled Americans depend on each month. But as Elon Musk and

the so-called Department of Government efficiency look to slash federal jobs in spending, the Social

Security Administration has plans to cut 12 percent of its workforce.

Our Larbarone Lopez reports on how that could affect the program and its payments.

The acting agency head told employees this week that it's Musk and Doge that are calling the shots at SSA.

The Washington Post reported that Leland Dudek told senior staff at SSA that

Musk's team of, quote, outsiders who are unfamiliar with nuances of SSA programs, are making

decisions and that they will make mistakes. And this morning, the agency told its workers

they can no longer use their government computers to look at, among other things,

news websites, even blocking access to some of them. The restriction was said to help protect

sensitive information, but news sites and obituaries are often relied on to confirm death information

and prevent fraud. For a closer look at the effect of potential cuts to social security, I'm joined by Martin O'Malley, who was the commissioner of SSA during the Biden administration and previously served as the governor of Maryland.

Governor O'Malley, thank you so much for joining the News Hour.

The Social Security Administration is looking to cut 12% of its workforce, some 7,000 people.

How will people receiving Social Security benefits

potentially feel the effect of those cuts? How will this impact the agency?

Ever since December, people have been putting in those eligible to retire. I've started to leave

the agency. The agency already had been driven down to a 50-year low in staffing,

even as baby boomers of my generation, swelled their customer ranks to a new record high every

single day. So people are going to experience in much longer wait times on the telephone.

We had gotten that speed to answer down to 12 and a half

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