Amid rising concerns about how DOGE cuts and restructuring at the Social Security Administration will impact Americans, Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) attempted to place a call himself.
In a video posted to X, Beyer sits at his desk with Social Security on speakerphone. "The estimated hold time is greater than 120 minutes," an automated voice says, citing high call volumes.
We've heard concerning things about the Social Security Administration lately, so I decided to check for myself.
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) March 28, 2025
SSA says Wednesday is the best day to call, so I called then.
Their system told me there would be a two-hour wait time, told me to call back, and then just hung up. pic.twitter.com/oKUDQg3xKM
The automated message continues, assuring Beyer, "Your call is important to us," and suggesting Wednesday through Friday as days with shorter wait times. "Thank you for calling, goodbye," says the voice before hanging up.
"I guess if I'd wanted to wait 120 minutes that would not have been possible because they just hung up," Beyer said. "This is a Wednesday. They did mention that call times were shorter on Wednesday through Friday, but I guess that didn't make any difference today."
"It's very concerning what's happening right now," Beyer reflected following the attempted call.
The attempted call comes amid DOGE cuts to government staffing and changes to the Social Security Administration. Beginning March 31, benefit claimants will no longer be able to verify their identity over the phone, and will either be directed to an online system, or forced to visit an office in person.
The process is intended to address fraud risk, with DOGE head Elon Musk stating that 20 million dead people are marked as alive in the payment database, despite a lack of evidence supporting the claim. Musk has condemned social security, referring to the program as a "Ponzi scheme."
Critics have railed against the changes, arguing that accessing the service will become substantially more difficult for its most vulnerable beneficiaries.
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