The Trump administration has eliminated parts of the Social Security call service to mask increased wait and processing times.
Callers will no longer be informed of wait times while on hold, callback wait times, and processing times for benefits, The Washington Post reported. The agency will also no longer publish the number of callers waiting on hold and the number of callers waiting on callback.
The missing information is the latest sign of the agency’s deterioration amid website crashes, long field office lines, and other glitches thanks to cuts from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Services (DOGE).
One Social Security employee told the Post that it has taken at least double the time to process a claim under Trump compared to Biden. For international callers, sometimes processing a claim can take up to a month.
“Them removing that type of data off the website about processing times doesn’t surprise me, because we’re so behind on things being processed,” the employee said. “It’s really a mess right now, everything is so far backed up.”
As of May, according to Social Security, wait times for phone calls were up roughly 40 percent in 2025. The average wait time for phone calls jumped from 61 minutes to 86 minutes.
The agency also took down the data performance page in early June and added a message that the website was under maintenance. Then, it republished the page with fewer statistics and with added language about using the online portal instead.
It now reads: “The fastest way for customers to get service is through my Social Security [the online portal], which gives you immediate access to important information and tools, putting you in control of your time.” It adds that the wait time for online services is “0 minutes.”
Despite the fact that nearly all Social Security beneficiaries are in their 60s or older, customers are discouraged from using the typical main phone line or in-person field offices, which elderly and disabled people usually rely on. Due to limited mobility skills or a lack of familiarity with technology, some struggle with using online platforms.
“It’s sad,” Kathyrn Locatell, 68, told the Post. “Using an online portal just isn’t going to happen in this community. … I know it from my personal experience. My husband doesn’t use the internet at all.”
Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano said the changes reflect the agency’s efforts to become a “digital-first” organization and that his team “continues to evaluate the agency,” according to The Post.
“We are updating our performance metrics to better reflect the real experiences of the people we serve and highlight the fastest ways our customers can get service,“ he said. ”The agency will determine if additional information will be provided at a later date.”
But Alex Lawson, the executive director of the Social Security Works advocacy group, said that the data removals “hide how much they’ve destroyed the system’s customer service.”
“If they think this lack of transparency will fool the American people, they’re in for a surprise,” he told the Post. “People notice when they can’t get an appointment because their local field office has lost half its staff. When checks and decisions are delayed. When they get the runaround from an AI chatbot on the phone, instead of getting to talk to a real person.”
Rich Couture, a spokesman for the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents Social Security Workers, said that the 10 percent loss of the agency’s workforce has taken a toll on overwhelmed employees.
“Removal of real-time performance data from SSA’s website will only obscure the impact of the cuts and chaos on public service,” he told the Post in a statement.
Musk has called DOGE a “Ponzi scheme,” and DOGE has targeted Social Security with drastic cuts. Nearly half of the Social Security Administration’s 140 senior executives and thousands of employees have taken buyouts or retired, according to The New York Times. DOGE has said it plans to eliminate around 12 percent of staff, approximately 7,000 people.
Earlier this month, the agency removed a menu of live phone and claims data from its website, opting to replace it with a new page that shows a restricted view of the customer service options. The Trump administration had toyed with cutting phone services completely but decided against it due to major public backlash.
“It’s a shame that now they are trashing the trust that the public should have in numbers that are timely and accurate and real,” said former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who served as a Social Security commissioner under former President Joe Biden.
Over 74 million people rely on Social Security, and concerns continue to grow over the agency’s decision to further limit public access and cut off vulnerable groups from accessible assistance.
The post Trump Admin. Pulls Social Security Wait Times to Hide Bad Customer Service appeared first on The Daily Beast.
