Reuters: Judge orders temporary halt to Trump administration’s government overhaul

Posted on May 13, 2025 by M

President Donald Trump’s administration must temporarily halt its sweeping government overhaul because Congress did not authorize it to carry out large-scale staffing cuts and the restructuring of agencies, a federal judge said on Friday.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco sided with a group of unions, non-profits and local governments, and blocked large-scale mass layoffs known as “reductions in force” for 14 days.

“As history demonstrates, the President may broadly restructure federal agencies only when authorized by Congress,” said Illston.

Judge orders temporary halt to Trump administration’s government overhaul

Dozens of lawsuits have challenged DOGE’s work on various grounds including violating privacy laws and exceeding its authority, with mixed results. This ruling is one of the broadest yet.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/judge-orders-temporary-halt-trump-administrations-mass-layoff-plans-2025-05-10

NBC News: Trump administration asks Supreme Court to grant DOGE access to Social Security data

Posted on May 6, 2025 by M

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to pause a lower court’s order restricting affiliates of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive Social Security Administration data, arguing in a Friday filing that the judicial order limits President Donald Trump’s executive authority.

“This emergency application presents a now-familiar theme,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote. “A district court has issued sweeping injunctive relief without legal authority to do so, in ways that inflict ongoing, irreparable harm on urgent federal priorities and stymie the Executive Branch’s functions.”

Sauer urged the court to lift an injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander blocking DOGE from accessing the data, which includes Social Security numbers, medical records and tax and banking information.

Dear God, no! Please keep F’Elon Musk out of our medical and banking records.

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to grant DOGE access to Social Security data

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to pause a lower court’s order restricting affiliates of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive Social Security Administration data, arguing in a Friday filing that the judicial order limits President Donald Trump’s executive authority.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-administration-asks-supreme-court-to-grant-doge-access-to-social-security-data/ar-AA1E4OgC

Daily Beast: DOGE Goons Physically Drag Social Security Worker From Desk

Posted on April 14, 2025 by M

The high-ranking civil servant had opposed a plan to push out migrants by falsely listing them as dead.

A senior executive at the Social Security Administration was physically dragged from his office this week after clashing with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to The Washington Post.

Greg Pearre, a career civil servant who led an IT team working on the agency’s data systems, was removed over his opposition to a DOGE plan to cut off immigrants from key financial services, three people told the Post.

The scheme cooked up by Elon Musk’s DOGE squad falsely lists thousands of migrants as dead in a Social Security database known as the “death master file.”

Being entered into the death database cuts a person off from crucial financial services, like the ability to receive government benefits and access a bank account or credit card. The goal was to push migrants who were granted a temporary legal status under former President Joe Biden to “self deport.”

DOGE Goons Physically Drag Social Security Worker from Desk

The high-ranking civil servant had opposed a plan to push out migrants by falsely listing them as dead.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/doge-goons-physically-drag-social-security-worker-from-desk

Guardian: Doge’s attack on social security causing ‘complete, utter chaos’, staff says

Posted on April 6, 2025 by M

Understaffed agency sent into ‘death spiral’ as employees warn Musk-led cuts will lead to structural collapse

Office closures, staffing and service cuts, and policy changes at the Social Security Administration (SSA) have caused “complete, utter chaos” and are threatening to send the agency into a “death spiral”, according to workers at the agency.

…

The SSA website has crashed several times this month. Wired reported Doge staff want to migrate all social security data and rewrite code in months, which could cause system collapse and further outages.

The agency plans to eliminate the jobs of 7,000 workers at the agency through voluntary buyouts, resignations or firings, though the union representing SSA employees anticipate even more firings beyond cutting staff to 50,000 workers.

Acting commissioner Leland Dudek has acknowledged to staff that Doge are making the decisions at the agency. Musk, Donald Trump and others have claimed action is being taken to tackle widespread fraud at the agency.

Dudek was appointed acting commissioner after he reportedly secretly shared information with Doge staff. He has threatened to shut down the agency in response to a court order barring Doge from accessing the data.

Doge’s attack on social security causing ‘complete, utter chaos’, staff says

Understaffed agency sent into ‘death spiral’ as employees warn Musk-led cuts will lead to structural collapse

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/06/musk-doge-social-security

Money Talks News: 26 Social Security Offices Expected to Close Down by This Fall

Posted on March 29, 2025 by M

The Associated Press (AP) recently obtained an internal planning document from the General Services Administration, which manages federal real estate, that includes the dates on which some of those leases are expected to end. The AP also searched publicly available data to find additional information on these leases.

The publication identified 26 SSA offices that will close in 2025.

This news comes just after the SSA implemented stronger identity verification practices. Beneficiaries must now verify their identity in person before they can change their direct deposit information or claim benefits. Closing SSA locations will make it more difficult for beneficiaries in certain areas to do that.

26 Social Security Offices Expected to Close Down by This Fall

Associated Press: Trump signs order seeking to overhaul US elections, including requiring proof of citizenship

Posted on March 25, 2025 by M

Are we now ruled by dictatorial edict? Only Congress can pass laws; the President gets to sign them only after both houses of Congress have passed them. Der Führer seems to think he can skip a few steps.

Trump signs order seeking to overhaul US elections, including requiring proof of citizenship

President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive action to overhaul elections in the United States.

Trump signs order seeking to overhaul US elections, including requiring proof of citizenship | AP News

Howard Lutnick, Fool: Grannies won’t complain if they don’t receive their Social Security checks

Posted on March 22, 2025 by M

Presumptuous moron!

The fastest way to start a revolution and throw Krasnov out of office is to start withholding the Social Security checks of 70 million Americans.

As the staff cuts at the Social Security Administration leave monthly benefit payments to tens of millions of Americans up in the air — alarming former SSA leaders on both sides of the aisle — Howard Lutnick, the Secretary of Commerce, doesn’t think you should be complaining if your check doesn’t show up.

“Let’s say Social Security didn’t send out their checks this month — my mother-in-law, who’s 94, she wouldn’t call and complain. She just wouldn’t,” Lutnick told All-In Podcast hosts David Friedberg and Chamath Palihapitiya on Thursday. “She’d think something got messed up, and she’ll get it next month.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says his mother-in-law wouldn’t complain if her Social Security check didn’t arrive this month

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says his mother-in-law wouldn’t complain if her Social Security check didn’t arrive this month