After Warren Secured Commitment From SSA Head, Social Security Inspector General Moves Forward with “Expedited” Data Audit
Social Security Administration (SSA) Inspector General officially launches data audit requested by Sen. Warren, confirms expected to complete before end of calendar year
Washington, D.C. – After U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) secured a commitment from Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Frank Bisignano to fully cooperate with an independent Inspector General (IG) audit of Social Security service data and metrics, the Acting SSA IG, in a letter to Sen. Warren, confirmed the formal launch of the investigation. The IG audit is the first watchdog investigation into the SSA’s misleading public data.
“SSA OIG['s] expectation is we will be able to obtain the necessary information in an expedited manner to address the issues you raised in your letter and complete this audit before the end of the calendar year,” Michelle Anderson, the Acting SSA IG, wrote to Senator Warren.
During Senator Warren’s July meeting with Commissioner Bisignano, he agreed that an independent IG investigation was necessary and committed to fully cooperate with the audit. Following the meeting, Senator Warren sent a letter formally requesting the SSA’s IG investigate wait times for Social Security services, specifically whether those wait times have worsened under the Trump Administration’s leadership, how caller wait time data is collected, and whether the Social Security Administration is providing the public with accurate information about those wait times.
Senator Warren requested the investigation cover: the change in wait times since January 20, 2025; an explanation of how the agency calculates key metrics; how staffing decisions, including reassigning and cutting staff, at the agency have impacted its ability to deliver services; and any other factors that may be impacting the agency’s ability to deliver services.
As a result of Trump administration changes to Social Security — including its elimination of thousands of workers at the agency, closure of regional offices, and implementation of burdensome new requirements to access services — phone wait times have skyrocketed.
A June investigation conducted by Senator Warren’s office found that wait times averaged nearly an hour and 45 minutes, with maximum wait times exceeding three hours. The Joint Economic Committee Minority Staff’s review found a similar increase in busy rates on the SSA phone hotline. Yet Commissioner Bisignano’s SSA continues to report that wait times are eight minutes — a number incompatible with SSA’s own public data, the results of Senator Warren’s investigation, and other independent reporting.
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.
###
Next Article Previous Article