Social Security is not a giveaway. Slashing access is a betrayal.

It’s a common refrain among older Americans these days: “You just can’t get through.” For thousands of seniors like 67-year-old Jung-gon Kim in Buena Park, trying to apply for Social Security benefits has turned into a drawn-out battle. “I’ve been calling the Social Security Administration (SSA) every other day,” he said. “Even after waiting over an hour, all I hear is an automated voice.” The SSA website claims translation support is available, but with overloaded phone lines, offline access blocked without appointments, and websites frequently crashing, such promises ring hollow.

Behind this dysfunction is a significant downsizing effort by the federal government. Earlier this year, the Trump administration pushed for sweeping cost-cutting measures at the SSA, forcing more than 3,000 employees into early retirement. An additional 7,000 layoffs have been announced. As a result, Social Security offices across the country are stretched thin, barely able to handle routine inquiries.

The fallout has been severe. According to Jessica LaPointe, a representative of the SSA workers’ union, some offices are so under-resourced that they don’t even have printer paper to issue benefit notices.

Meanwhile, new identification verification rules rolled out in March have driven tens of thousands of applicants into field offices. Without access to their ‘My Social Security’ online accounts, people must appear in person — leading to overwhelming lines and appointment backlogs that stretch beyond a month. The website itself went down for two full weeks, leaving users unable to check benefit status or submit forms, and further delaying internal processing.

In parallel, the General Services Administration announced plans to cancel nearly 800 federal lease agreements, including 47 SSA field offices. Although no official closures have been confirmed, internal SSA documents submitted to the White House list office consolidation as a policy goal for the coming year. Already, the SSA’s ten regional headquarters have been merged into just four, effectively paralyzing complex case reviews and appeals.

For those depending on Social Security for survival, especially the elderly, these bureaucratic failures have immediate, devastating consequences. USA Today recently reported that the average hold time on SSA’s toll-free number jumped from 60 minutes under the Biden administration to 90 minutes under Trump, with some callers forced to wait up to 150 minutes — only to be disconnected.

Internally, SSA officials acknowledge the root cause: mass layoffs and abrupt policy shifts without adequate preparation. The departure of experienced staff has left the system fragile and overwhelmed. “It’s not just about delays,” said Kevin Kang, who assists seniors with Social Security filings. “If this backlog continues for months, the damage to vulnerable populations could be profound.”

And yet, the damage goes beyond inconvenience. At stake is a fundamental breach of trust. Social Security is not a government giveaway — it is a mandatory savings program, funded through decades of payroll contributions. When seniors reach retirement age, they are not asking for charity — they are reclaiming what is rightfully theirs. Cutting back services under the guise of fiscal responsibility is not just mismanagement. It is a betrayal of those who have fulfilled their end of a long-standing social contract.

If the federal government can no longer provide even the most basic access to Social Security services, what confidence can Americans place in the integrity of their retirement safety net? Seniors who planned their lives around a system they contributed to now find themselves in economic limbo. While the government debates numbers and efficiency, real people are suffering.

No matter what party is in power, Social Security must remain untouchable. Streamlining is one thing — abandonment is another. The system is built not just on policies, but on promises. And those promises must be kept.

By Mooyoung Lee [lee.mooyoung@koreadaily.com]