On March 12, 2025, The Washington Post published an article (archived) titled "Social Security, facing pressure from DOGE, weighs big cuts to phone service." The story alleged that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative championed by Elon Musk was attempting to push the Social Security Administration (SSA) to cut its telephone service for claims processing and direct deposit transactions. Anyone receiving Social Security benefits, including elderly and disabled people, would either have to use the internet or go to a Social Security field office in person in order to process their claims instead.
The news was quickly picked up and shared in other news outlets and on social media, and Snopes readers searched the site to find out if it was true.
It is unclear to what extent DOGE pressured the SSA to cut claims processing and direct deposit phone services — the Washington Post story said the information came from two anonymous sources and government records. Snopes reached out to those reporters to ask about the sources and documents. One of the reporters emphasized that the SSA was not considering completely cutting phone services, but did not provide information about the story's sourcing.
If The Washington Post's reporting was accurate, the proposed cuts becoming public knowledge may have changed the government's plans.
According to a statement from the SSA released later on March 12, the agency is ending only one phone service: Individuals will no longer be allowed to change bank information over the phone, in order to reduce the risk of fraud. A post from the official DOGE X account said that change will take effect on March 29, and anyone wishing to change the direct deposit bank account can use an online portal with multi-factor authentication or visit a SSA center in person. The Washington Post story was quickly updated to take into account these announcements.