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Members Press SSA On Staff Cuts, Redeployments and Employee Engagement
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Summary
Lawmakers criticized recent reductions in SSA staff levels and raised concerns about morale after thousands accepted voluntary retirements or left; Commissioner Frank Buscagnano said many employees were redeployed to customer-facing work and pledged to improve employee engagement.
House members from both parties pressed Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Buscagnano on staffing changes and employee morale, arguing the agency's service mission depends on a skilled, stable workforce.
Multiple lawmakers said the agency had lost large numbers of experienced staff and cited reports that more than 7,000 employees had left or been forced out since the administration took office. "These cuts were done even though SSA was already at a 50 year staffing low," Rep. Carolyn Maloney said. Members warned that workforce reductions and rapid reliance on technology risked diminishing frontline knowledge needed to prevent fraud and errors.
Buscagnano acknowledged the agency has redeployed staff and is emphasizing operational roles: he told the committee that many people who left or changed roles did so voluntarily and that the agency had redeployed staff from regional management and other headquarters roles into field and phone operations. He said roughly 7,000 contractors support agency operations and estimated “hundreds to a thousand” staff had moved into direct service roles; he emphasized his aim to improve employee engagement and lift Social Security in employee-view rankings that had fallen in recent years.
Ranking members and other Democrats warned that firing experienced workers undermines oversight of contractors and the agency’s ability to spot errors. Buscagnano said he values the workforce and is holding weekly meetings with second-level managers to improve leadership and performance.
Ending: Lawmakers urged continued oversight on staffing levels and redeployments; the commissioner said he would provide additional information and work to raise employee engagement and ensure experienced staff oversee technical changes.
