House Social Security Subcommittee chair opens first hearing with warning on trust fund, cites wait-time improvements

The Chair of the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee opened his first hearing and welcomed Frank Pisinano, the recently confirmed commissioner of the Social Security Administration, for his first appearance before the panel.

“Without congressional action, Social Security’s retirement trust fund will be exhausted in just over 7 years, which would result in equivalent of a 23% across-the-board benefit cut,” the Chair said, citing last week’s trustees report.

The Chair said members on both sides want to preserve the program and urged an honest dialogue about its future. He identified three priorities for the committee’s work: improving customer service, rooting out waste, fraud and abuse, and strengthening the program for current and future beneficiaries.

As evidence of recent operational changes, the Chair cited customer-service metrics: average wait time on the SSA 800-number peaked at 42 minutes in November 2023 and was 16.7 minutes in April 2025; average wait time in field offices has decreased by eight minutes since the start of the fiscal year; and pending disability claims had fallen below 1,000,000 after topping 1,200,000 in the summer of 2024. The Chair described those figures as “improvements” but added “we can and should do more to make the processes more efficient for beneficiaries.”

The Chair also warned against partisan sound bites and said the committee should focus on durable solutions rather than viral moments. He thanked attendees including Jason Smith, chairman of the full committee, Darren LaHoode, chairman of the work and welfare subcommittee, and several subcommittee ranking members, and said he looked forward to a “robust discussion” with Commissioner Pisinano and other members.

The Chair concluded his opening remarks by yielding to the ranking member for his opening statement.