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Social Security pushes tech and automation amid staffing cuts
The agency plans faster, more reliable service for fiscal 2026 to 2030 while relying more heavily on online tools, even as its workforce has shrunk to its smallest level in decades.
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency may have ended, but changes tied to the push for efficiency remain in motion at the Social Security Administration. Yahoo Finance notes that DOGE reached its planned expiration date on July 4, 2026 after months of efforts that contributed to large federal workforce reductions, including more than 260,000 employees leaving federal service in 2025.
According to Yahoo Finance, the SSA has faced cuts alongside that broader government shift. It cites Office of Personnel Management data, reporting that nearly 8,000 employees have left the agency since President Donald Trump returned to office, and says the SSA entered 2026 with roughly 50,000 employees, its smallest workforce in decades, while serving around 75 million beneficiaries.
Yahoo Finance also points to the SSA’s newly released strategic plan for fiscal years 2026 through 2030, describing the goals as “transformative.” The plan emphasizes faster, more reliable service, along with a stronger focus on technology and productivity, building on modernization steps linked to workforce reductions, greater reliance on online services, and automation efforts.
The article further notes that the American Federation of Government Employees says the SSA has been understaffed and under-resourced for years. Yahoo Finance reports that the union is calling on Congress for about $3 billion in additional funding and eventually adding 20,000 employees.