Ex-head of Social Security claimed DOGE actions could cause payment interruptions. Here's context

Only time will tell if the prediction by Martin O’Malley, the former Social Security commissioner, is accurate.

Published March 7, 2025

Image courtesy of Getty Images

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Following comments by a former commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SAA) in March 2025, a rumor spread that the agency could soon stop sending payments to beneficiaries such as retirees and people with disabilities.

Speaking to CNBC for an article that published March 1, the former commissioner, Martin O’Malley, predicted that the system will “collapse” and that there will be an “interruption of benefits” within the “next 30 to 90 says” due to agency changes initiated by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The speculation by O’Malley, a former Maryland governor who served as SAA commissioner under former President Joe Biden, prompted worry among Social Security recipients. Users on X, Bluesky, Reddit, Instagram and TikTok posted about his comments, with one TikTok user saying: “Recipients like me, people who get checks, can expect interruptions in those checks. So, in the next 30 to 90 days, if that happens, I’m going to guarantee you there’s going to be a whole bunch of upset Social Security recipients.”

Days before O’Malley’s comments, the SAA announced it was aiming to cut some 7,000 employees to align with goals established by President Donald Trump’s administration to reduce the federal workforce. It was unclear, as of this writing, how exactly that goal was affecting day-to-day operations around payments.

In other words, it was unknown how — or if — staffing cuts directed by Trump’s administration could change the distribution of Social Security checks. No other former or current leaders of the agency have made public statements similar to O’Malley’s, and there was no irrefutable evidence to lend credit to, or discredit, his prediction. 

We reached out to him to further explain why he believed the system could “collapse” or payments could face interruptions within a few months, as well as the SSA to respond to his claims. We will update this story if we receive responses.

Here’s what O’Malley said

The March 1 CNBC article stated:

Social Security has never missed a benefit payment since the program first began sending individuals monthly benefits more than eight decades ago.

But the recent actions at the U.S. Social Security Administration by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency are putting monthly benefit checks for more than 72.5 million Americans at risk, former commissioner and former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley told CNBC.com.

“Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits,” O’Malley said. “I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days.”

It was unclear why O’Malley chose that timeframe — “30 to 90 days” — for his prediction.

He also urged Social Security beneficiaries to “start saving now,” before any possible interruptions to payments.

SAA workforce announcements

In a series of news releases in late February, Lee Dudek, the acting SAA commissioner, announced workforce changes to align with goals established by Musk’s cost-cutting agency, DOGE.

For example, in a Feb. 21 statement, Dudek said the agency’s Office of Analytics, Review and Oversight (OARO) — which has coordinated operations to detect and prevent fraud, among other duties — would face “organizational realignment” — or, that it would dissolve in its current form and other sections of SAA would supposedly absorb its work.

Then, a few days later, on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25, the SSA closed its Office of Transformation and Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, placing those employees on administrative leave. 

Shortly after that, on Feb. 28, the SSA announced its goal to cut some 7,000 jobs, writing in a statement:

Consistent with recent executive orders issued by the White House, the Social Security Administration will continue to implement efficiencies and reduce costs, with a renewed focus on mission critical work for the American people.

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. Social Security recently set a staffing target of 50,000, down from the current level of approximately 57,000 employees. […]

Social Security anticipates that much of the staff reductions needed to reach the target of 50,000 will come from retirement, [Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments], and resignation. Additional reductions will come from reduction-in-force (RIF) actions that could include abolishment of organizations and positions. RIF also can include directed reassignments from one position to another position in the agency. Agencies are required to submit their RIF plans to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) by March 13, 2025. No date has been set when a RIF might begin after OPM approves the plan.

The agency then announced on March 3 that it had froze hiring, as well as reduced overtime for employees. According to the SSA, those changes would save the agency $550 million.

Amelia Clarke is a journalist from London, England. Before joining Snopes as a reporter, she worked for BBC News as a producer.