ICYMI: As Seniors Face Highest-Ever Rate of Disconnected Social Security Calls, Hassan Pushes Social Security Agency to Restore Public Information on Wait and Processing Times
The Joint Economic Committee found agency removed critical information showing March 2025 reached the highest-recorded rate of disconnected calls due to high call volume
Washington, D.C. – In the midst of the Trump administration’s efforts to gut Social Security, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), wrote to the Social Security Administration urging it to resume reporting metrics such as current call wait times, the share of callers who get disconnected, and processing times at field offices. Recently, the Social Security Administration removed this data from its website—ostensibly to hide the fact that customer service has declined since DOGE first infiltrated the administration.
A JEC analysis of the removed data found that shortly before the agency removed this data, the “busy rate” that callers were experiencing surged from less than five percent last year to nearly 30 percent in March 2025 — the highest rate on record. This “busy rate” reflects the percentage of callers who are disconnected before they can talk to a Social Security employee, often because the call volume is too high.
“Social Security is a lifeline for many seniors across the country, helping them to buy groceries, pay their bills, and afford other necessities…Changes to the performance dashboard are particularly alarming given that they have occurred in the wake of other changes by DOGE that appear to have undermined SSA’s ability to serve seniors and other beneficiaries effectively,” wrote Joint Economic Committee Ranking Member Hassan.
JEC obtained the following graph of the record-high “busy rate” directly from the Social Security Administration’s public dashboard, showing an enormous spike in disconnected calls following cuts to the agency earlier this year.
Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.
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