MSNBC: How DOGE’s reckless cuts created chaos at the Social Security Administration

Staff reassignments are not going to fix the growing problems at the agency.

The Trump administration’s colossal cuts to the Social Security Administration in the name of “efficiency” are sowing chaos and dysfunction throughout the agency. Even attempts to fix these new problems are akin to rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship because they fail to address the core problem: staff shortages.

The Washington Post reports the SSA is “temporarily reassigning about 1,000 customer service representatives from field offices to work on the swamped toll-free phone line, increasing the number of agents by 25 percent.” And when the Post reports the phone line is “swamped,” what that means in practice is that people are complaining about dropped calls and previously reported wait times of up to five hours.

But there’s one little oversight: There is no one in place to do the work that the reassigned representatives had to leave behind. According to the Post, “Jessica LaPointe, president of Council 220 of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said the move will slow responses to the complex cases that the field office employees handle and be only a temporary bandage for the phone problems.”

“The 1-800 number — they do offer a critical role at the agency, but it’s triage, whereas customer service representatives actually clear work for the agency,” LaPointe told the Post. “So it’s just going to create a vicious cycle of work not getting cleared, people calling for status on work that’s sitting because the claims specialists now are going to have to pick up the slack of the customer service representatives that are redeployed to the tele-service centers.”

So how did the SSA end up so shorthanded that it has to rob Peter to pay Paul? Before the second Trump administration, SSA had a staff of roughly 57,000. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Trump administration’s DOGE operation enacted “the largest staffing cut in SSA’s history,” which involved “indiscriminately pushing out 7,000 workers to hit an arbitrary staffing reduction target.” The Trump administration has also ousted dozens of officials with expertise in running SSA’s benefits and information technology systems.

On top of the problems noted above, reassigning workers adds further inefficiency because they have to do on-the-job training and lean on more experienced co-workers to get them up to speed. And field offices themselves were already beleaguered, dealing with the effects of other reassignments within SSA. “Field office staff are struggling to resolve the most difficult cases, due to disproportionate losses and reassignments in SSA’s regional offices, which provide daily support to their colleagues in the field by answering complex policy questions and troubleshooting system problems,” the CBPP reports.

Trump’s “efficiency” efforts now have a single staff member serving 1,480 beneficiaries, according to AFGE. That’s three times the number of clients that one staffer served in 1967.

On top of all this, the SSA’s new phone system, implemented in May, seems to have problems of its own. Jen Burdick, a Social Security expert and a divisional supervising attorney with Community Legal Services, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the system’s new artificial intelligence could be exacerbating the problem.

“We spend a lot of time calling Social Security offices on people’s behalf — sometimes 15 times a day,” Burdick told the Inquirer. “We’re on hold for hours, then get AI bots spewing random information you never asked for before hanging up.”

“It really hurts our clients who are in trouble, trying to navigate this difficult system. It’s very upsetting for people,” she added.

Staff shortages seem to result occasionally in callers being rerouted to offices in other parts of the country, the Inquirer report adds, and thus the responding staffer is not always able to answer specific questions.

Trump is turning one of the country’s most important lifelines for the elderly and the disabled into a mess — all for foreseeable reasons. Indiscriminate mass cuts don’t represent a serious bid at generating efficiency in administering a public benefit. The only thing these cuts do with any efficiency is rip a major hole in the American safety net.

The future doesn’t look so good, either. Trump’s recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is only going to make things worse, since changes in the tax code will accelerate Social Security and Medicare’s insolvency. MAGA’s policy vision is all about divestment from the common good — and America’s collective future.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/social-security-administration-phone-benefits-wait-doge-trump-rcna218252

Newsweek: Anti-Trump Protests Update: ‘National Day of Action’ Planned for July 17

Another round of national anti-Trump demonstrations is being planned across the U.S. for July 17 under the banner of Good Trouble Lives On, a reference to the late civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis.

Good Trouble Lives On demonstrations are being planned for dozens of American cities on July 17 including the likes of New York, Washington D.C, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco with attendees invited to “March in Peace, Act in Power.”

The name is a reference to Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and an advocate of peaceful protests, who famously called for “good trouble” during the civil rights era.

According to its downloadable “Host Toolkit” for organizers, the protests have three main goals. These are demanding an end to “the extreme crackdown on civil rights by the Trump administration,” “the attacks on Black and brown Americans, immigrants, trans people, and other communities,” and “the slashing of programs that working people rely on, including Medicaid, SNAP, and Social Security.”

Good Trouble Lives On is being supported by a range of other groups including the 50501 Movement, which also helped organize the “No Kings” demonstrations.

https://www.newsweek.com/anti-trump-protests-update-national-day-action-planned-july-17-2088233

Raw Story: Trump just went ‘two bridges too far even for MAGA’: ex-GOP strategist

Donald Trump’s latest actions amount to “two bridges too far even for a lot of MAGA folks,” according to a former Republican strategist on Saturday.

First, Wilson noted the “assault” of Senator Padilla, who was tackled while speaking out at a press conference for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

The second, Wilson said, was sending the Marines into LA.

After it was suggested that Republicans “lost their footing” when it comes to immigration, Wilson said, “I think Senator Padilla being assaulted, to my mind, and maybe you have another moment in the week you think is different, I think the Marines being deployed and Senator Padilla being assaulted, were two bridges too far even for a lot of MAGA folks.”

Wilson’s guest agreed, calling the assault a “flex of muscle” that will backfire on the administration.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-two-bridges-rick-wilson

NBC News: As immigration raids continue, ICE protests spread coast to coast

Activists plan more events Tuesday in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. A curfew was imposed across downtown L.A. until 6 a.m.

Activists had also gathered in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere, rebuking the Trump administration’s tough stance against migrants and its aggressive round-up efforts, which Democratic leaders in California have criticized as contributing to a sense of fear across communities.

NBC News has counted at least 25 rallies and demonstrations coast to coast since Monday. Some involved only a few dozen people, while others attracted thousands.

The protests took place as federal immigration raids continued nationwide Tuesday, including a “targeted enforcement operation” in Los Angeles, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as a raid at a meat processing facility in Omaha, Nebraska.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/anti-ice-protests-held-coast-coast-l-unrest-national-movement-grows-rcna211980

Daily Mail: ICE prepares full assault on five Democrat cities as LA goes into lockdown amid immigration riots

Donald Trump is set to deploy ICE tactical units to five Democrat-run cities amid the riots in Los Angeles as Gavin Newsom nearly broke into tears while blaming his administration for inciting the California chaos.

The military-style units are set to storm New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia and northern VirginiaMSNBC reported. Four of those five are heavily blue cities, while northern Virginia contains the Democrat enclave of Alexandria. 

‘Look, this isn’t just about protests here in Los Angeles, when Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard. He made that order apply to every state in this nation,’ Newsom said, as he teared up. 

‘This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes, this moment we have feared has arrived.’

Newsom accused Trump of ‘taking a wrecking ball to our founding fathers’ historic project’ of three co-equal branches of government. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14800391/ICE-prepares-assault-five-Democrat-cities-LA-goes-lockdown.html

Mirror: LA immigration protests LIVE: Mass protests spread to new cities, with tear gas thrown in Dallas

The President sent another 2,000 National Guard troops to confront immigration protesters in LA, as the demonstrations spread to other US cities

President Donald Trump has defended his decision to send another 2,000 National Guard troops to confront immigration protesters in Los Angeles, as the demonstrations spread to other US cities.

The protests began Friday in downtown LA after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. Trump on Monday authorized the deployment of 700 Marines and additional National Guard troops to LA as the protests entered a fourth day. It came after an initial 300 troops arrived in the city on Sunday.

The demonstrations spread to other cities including Boston, Houston and Philadelphia on Monday. In Dallas, hundreds of protesters gathered for a rally which police declared was “unlawful.” Authorities said one person was arrested.

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/la-immigration-protests-live-flash-1195445

NBC News: ICE protests held coast to coast as national movement grows after L.A. unrest

Activists plan more events Tuesday in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta.

The protests that have roiled Los Angeles seem to be spreading across the country, as activists gathered Tuesday in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere.

Rallies protesting ICE raids and the government’s immigration policies have been planned across California and beyond this week. A series of so-called No Kings demonstrations is planned nationwide for Saturday.

Since Monday, NBC News counted at least 25 rallies and demonstrations coast to coast. Some involved only a few dozen participants, while others attracted thousands to make a stand against the detention and removal of suspected undocumented migrants.

Lots more …

  • California and the West Coast
  • New York and the East Coast
  • Texas, the South and the Midwest

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/rcna211980

Live: LA immigration protests LIVE: Newsom brands Marine deployment to LA Trump’s ‘deranged fantasy’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state of California is suing Donald Trump over his response to the violent riots in L.A. Tensions exploded between the two over the weekend and into Monday

Americans fear civil war is beginning right before their eyes as L.A. protesters and police clash — and California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state of California is now suing Donald Trump over his response to the violent riots.

California Democrat Adam Schiff also accused Trump of wanting a reason to justify martial law in the region. The president lobbed several attacks against Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass on his Truth Social on Sunday night.

Trump is deploying 2,000 National Guard troops as protesters seek to block federal immigration authorities from carrying out deportations. ed to deploy status” should they be called upon to defend federal facilities and personnel.

The Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will work with the roughly 2,100 National Guard troops on the ground to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, U.S. Northern Command says.

The Marines are moving from their base at Twentynine Palms in the California desert on Monday.

The troops have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force, and they will be armed with the weapons they normally carry.

Kent State Reprise is just around the corner.

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/la-immigration-protests-live-flash-1195445

NBC News: Anti-ICE protests held coast to coast after L.A. unrest as national movement grows

Activists plan more events Tuesday in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta.

The protests that roiled Los Angeles over the weekend were set to spread Tuesday across the country, as activists planned demonstrations in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere.

Rallies protesting ICE raids and the government’s immigration policies have spread across California and beyond this week. A series of so-called No Kings demonstrations are planned nationwide for Saturday.

NBC News counted at least 25 rallies and demonstrations coast to coast. Some of them involved only a few dozen participants, while others attracted thousands to make a stand against the detention and removal of suspected undocumented migrants.

Many protesters across the country were trade unionists calling for the release of SEIU California President David Huerta, who was arrested on Friday.

Bimbo #2 is still too dense to get the message:

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem signaled on Tuesday that she would continue the agency’s program of raids and deportations despite the widespread protests.

“ICE will continue to enforce the law,” [Bimbo #2] Noem said.

It’s only just begun! 🙂

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/anti-ice-protests-held-coast-coast-l-unrest-national-movement-grows-rcna211980

Mirror: LA immigration protests LIVE: Civil war fears explode as 2,000 National Guard troops deployed

Americans are panicking about chaotic scenes unfolding in Los Angeles today as angry protesters clashed with federal agents.

Americans fear civil war is beginning right before their eyes as LA protesters and police clash – and California Democrat Adam Schiff has even accused Donald Trump of wanting a reason to justify martial law.

Trump is deploying 2,000 National Guard troops as protesters seek to block federal immigration authorities from carrying out deportations. And defense secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened to send in the Marines, with around 500 troops on standby.

In a statement released on Sunday, U.S. Northern Command said that, at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about 500 Marines are “in a prepared to deploy status” should they be called upon to defend federal facilities and personnel.

In an earlier directive, the President invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is ”a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

Writing on X, one user said “sadly LA looks like a scene from the 2024 Civil War movie,” while another user asked: “Is the US now in de facto civil war or is that not yet what they call it?”

Others said they fear LA is the “beginning” of a wider civil war across the U.S.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Trump are publicly clashing about efforts taken to contain the protests, with Newsom even going as far as accusing Trump of “manufacturing a crisis.”

This was echoed by Schiff, who wrote on social media: “There is nothing President Trump would like more than a violent confrontation with protestors to justify the unjustifiable — invocation of the Insurrection Act or some form of martial law.”

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/la-immigration-protests-live-flash-1195445