In a significant development, most of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) regional commissioners have announced their retirement effective February 28, 2025. This move follows a series of mysterious meetings within the agency about plans to reduce its workforce. At least five of the eight regional commissioners overseeing SSA offices across the United States are stepping down, including Howard Bowles, LeeAnn Stuever, Rick Lenoir, Rose Mary Buehler, and Raymond Egan, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The Social Security Administration, which had largely been insulated from the Trump administration’s early efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce, appears to be experiencing a dramatic shift in leadership and staffing. The Trump administration’s “deferred-resignation” program and the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority were exempted for frontline SSA workers, but that appears to have changed recently. This has led to the announcement of retirements from top SSA leaders.
Bowles, who has served for 35 years with the SSA, informed colleagues via an internal email that he would retire from his position as regional commissioner of the Western region. He did not specify the reasons for his decision but expressed gratitude for his long tenure. The other regional commissioners are also departing, signaling a major shake-up within the SSA.
These retirements come in the wake of rumors about major staffing cuts at the agency. The SSA is already facing a workforce that is at its lowest level in 50 years, contributing to a customer service crisis. Years of underfunding and congressional neglect have seen the agency’s administrative budget shrink significantly, dropping from 1.2% of benefit outlays to below 1%. This reduction has made it increasingly difficult for the SSA to meet the needs of the millions of Americans who rely on its services.
In 2024, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley took over as the new head of the SSA with a mandate to improve the agency’s service delivery. However, O’Malley expressed his frustration over the recent retirements, which he views as an indication of the agency “in free fall.” In an interview, he noted that while the agency was starting to improve, recent decisions by the Trump administration were “intent on cratering it.”
According to multiple news reports, Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek is reportedly looking to cut the agency’s workforce by half, potentially eliminating up to 7,000 jobs. This would reduce the SSA’s employee base from around 57,000 to approximately 50,000, though it is unclear whether these cuts will affect frontline staff. The SSA has not confirmed these numbers, stating that they are not setting any specific reduction targets at this time. Instead, the agency emphasized that it continues to pursue efficiencies and align its missions for better results.
Dudek, who was promoted to acting commissioner after a contentious period in the SSA’s leadership, has been a figure of controversy. Before being appointed, he was a mid-level employee working in the SSA’s anti-fraud office. He was investigated for allegedly providing unauthorized access to information to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team. After the SSA’s previous acting commissioner clashed with Musk’s team, she left, and Dudek was elevated to his current role.
The changes at the SSA are not limited to the departure of regional commissioners. The agency has also shut down its civil rights and transformation offices, with an unknown number of other employees also leaving the agency. In an email, one employee wrote about the “rate of change” in the past 30 days and expressed support for colleagues facing difficult decisions. Another retiring employee reassured colleagues, saying, “Know that you are doing the right things for the right reasons, and no one can take that away from you.”
The wave of retirements and workforce reductions at the SSA comes amid ongoing concerns about the agency’s ability to handle the volume of requests and deliver services to millions of Americans who rely on Social Security benefits. The SSA has long been plagued by budget constraints and staffing shortages, and these developments may signal further instability for the agency.
In response to these developments, the SSA has not made any official comment about the retirements or the rumored cuts to its workforce. The agency has stated that it continues to explore efficiencies within its operations and align its missions, but with its staffing levels already at historic lows, the future of the SSA remains uncertain.
As the situation continues to unfold, many are left wondering what the long-term consequences of these changes will be for the millions of Americans dependent on the Social Security Administration’s services.