Scoop: Social Security starts customer wait time audit

The Social Security Administration — under pressure from Senate Democrats —is on track to finish an internal audit of the agency's call wait times by year's end, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Democrats and the Trump administration are clashing over how GOP cuts have affected customer wait times, with each side disputing the other's data.

• SSA's acting inspector general said the audit had begun and outlined the year-end time frame for lawmakers in a letter that was first obtained by Axios.
• The audit follows a private meeting between Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano this summer, during which Warren raised concerns about wait times and staffing.
• Bisignano has touted decreased call wait times for customers, pointing to the use of new technology at the agency.

The big picture: Democrats spent much of the August recess hammering the GOP on Social Security, commemorating the program's 90th anniversary with events across their states.

• New whistleblower claims that the DOGE put the private information of hundreds of millions of Americans at risk have spurred fresh Democratic criticism of the Republican management of the agency.
• Democrats are pinning their 2026 midterm hopes largely on cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare made through DOGE and the GOP's massive budget reconciliation bill.

Between the lines: Warren's office released a report in April that said Bisignano was misleading the public about wait times for calls, with data showing significant delays for most callers.

• Bisignano pushed back in a separate letter to Warren last month, telling the Democrat that average call answer times have reached under 10 minutes.
• He also touted a decreased backlog in disability claims and a decrease in field office wait times.
• "After so many years of challenges, your skepticism of the rapid pace at which we have improved customer service is understandable," Bisignano said in the letter.

A spokesperson for the SSA told Axios: "Commissioner Bisignano had a productive meeting with Senator Warren in July, where he presented improved customer service metrics that are currently being realized on the phone, in field offices, and online."

• "Commissioner Bisignano agreed with Senator Warren's suggestion to have SSA OIG audit the numbers he provided to the Senator, which were prepared using long-held measurement methodology by the dedicated federal workforce at the agency," the spokesperson added.

Yes, but: As Axios' Emily Peck has reported, the SSA's reduced wait time claims are difficult to assess.

• The Washington Post recently reported that the agency has cut down on the historical data it now reports to the public.
• And it's not clear that the phone wait data takes into account the amount of time a caller spends waiting on the agency to call them back — or other metrics, including whether their problems are resolved.

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