"Provisions would give the agency an additional $50 million for customer service through the remainder of fiscal year 2026, which ends Sept. 30, AARP reported. The Social Security provisions are part of a larger spending package to fund several federal agencies whose budgets expire Jan. 30. Overall, the SSA's budget would rise to $14.84 billion, an increase of about 3.8% from its current level of $14.3 billion."
"Only a small share, less than 1%, would go directly to customer service, Kathleen Romig of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) told AARP. That's not really good news for an agency that, for a long time now, has been underfunded, said Romig, who directs Social Security and disability policy at the nonprofit group. CBPP estimates that inflation-adjusted spending on customer service fell 21.2% from 2010 to 2025 even as the number of beneficiaries climbed 26%."
"In an accompanying statement, lawmakers raised concerns about staffing cuts at field offices, processing centers and the SSA's national customer service helpline. The agency lost more than 6,000 employees in 2025, according to Office of Personnel Management data. About 1,000 field office workers were reassigned to help answer calls. Agency data shows that average call wait times fell to 12 minutes in December 2025, down 23 minutes a year earlier"
The spending package increases the Social Security Administration budget to $14.84 billion, a roughly 3.8% rise, and provides an additional $50 million for customer service through fiscal 2026. Less than 1% of the increase would go directly to customer service, while $500 million targets efforts to reduce waste and fraud, mainly by reviewing disability eligibility. Staffing declines have strained operations: the agency lost over 6,000 employees in 2025, about 1,000 field workers were reassigned to calls, and field office staffing fell about 9% nationwide. Average call wait times fell to 12 minutes in December 2025, but callback waits exceeded 60 minutes as of September 2025.
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