Latest news with #LindaKerr-Davis
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Social Security's announcements are leaving its website and moving to X: reports
Weeks after the Social Security Administration said it was increasing transparency and accountability, the agency is reportedly moving its communications off of its website and onto the Elon Musk-owned social-media platform X. The Social Security Administration, or SSA, has used press releases on its own website to share news — especially in the middle of the major changes announced in the last two months, including staff reductions and suggestions it pays out benefits to dead people. But the agency 'will be using X to communicate to the press and the public — formerly known as Twitter,' Linda Kerr-Davis, SSA Midwest-West regional commissioner, said in a call with employees on Thursday, according to Federal News Network. 'This will become our communication mechanism.' 'Are we out of our minds?' My husband and I are in our 70s. Should we use $600K of our savings to buy our dream home? Buyers show up in force for Treasury's 10-year auction, shocking bond traders 'She has been telling him lies': My sister convinced my father to sign everything over to her. What can I do? I'm administrator of my sister's estate. Her bank won't tell me the names of her beneficiaries. Is that legal? 'I'm stuck': I'm a single mom with a 6-year-old child. What can I do to earn money fast? 'If you're used to getting press releases and 'Dear Colleague' letters, you might want to subscribe to the official SSA X account, so you can stay up to date with agency news,' Kerr-Davis reportedly said on the call. 'I know this probably sounds very foreign to you — it did to me as well — and not what we are used to, but we are in different times now.' Wired also reported that press releases and 'Dear Colleague' letters would cease to be posted on the SSA website and would instead be found on X. It was not clear if the move to X would affect just regional offices or the agency as a whole. The SSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency reposted the WIRED story Friday night, claiming it was false. 'Social Security will continue to communicate through any and all mediums.' White House spokesperson Liz Huston denied the reported claims, labeling them 'misleading' in a statement provided to MarketWatch. 'The Social Security Administration is actively communicating with beneficiaries and stakeholders,' Huston said. See: Social Security rule-reversals, office closures, cost cuts: Here's what's happening now. Critics took to X to share their disapproval of the reported shift to the social-media platform. 'Right, because Grandma is on X. This is corruption, plain and simple,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat and a fierce opponent of the latest changes at the SSA, said in a post. Warren and fellow Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon recently created a Social Security 'war room' to lobby against the modifications the SSA has been making. Not many older American news consumers use X to get information, according to a Pew Research report published in 2024. Only 7% of X's regular news consumers are 65 years or older, compared to 19% of people 50 to 64 years old, 36% of those 30 to 49 years old and 38% of news consumers 18 to 29 years old, the report found. The latest SSA post on X was an update to its newest antifraud measures, including how people can proceed with changes to direct-deposit information. The agency faced massive backlash to a rule it announced in March, where individuals looking to make benefit claims or direct-deposit changes would have to go to an office in person or use their online 'My Social Security' accounts instead of over the phone. The SSA later took a step back, saying individuals could continue to use the phone for these services but would be subject to antifraud checks that might require them to come in to an office if a red flag is detected. A move to X — owned by billionaire Musk, who is also currently heading the Trump administration's 'Department of Government Efficiency' cost-cutting efforts — would come at a time when the SSA is reducing its workforce. In her statement to MarketWatch, White House spokesperson Huston claimed 'there has not been a reduction in [the SSA] workforce. Rather, to improve the delivery of services, staff are being reassigned from regional offices to front-line help — allocating finite resources where they are most needed.' U.S. stocks at their cheapest in nearly 18 months. Why earnings season holds the key on whether to buy. My late uncle's house is in foreclosure. A woman claims to be his daughter and my cousin is a squatter. What now? Here's how far the stock market must fall to trigger a 'circuit-breaker' trading halt Bond-market chaos is fueling concerns about a crisis. Here's what you need to know. 'He gave me a week to get out': My son and I bought a house — now I'm homeless and living in a car. Can I sue him?
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Social Security Administration ‘will be using X to communicate' moving forward
The Social Security Administration (SSA) unveiled Thursday that it would use the social platform X to make announcements going forward, instead of traditional press releases or memos typically posted to the agency's website. 'The agency will be using X to communicate to the press and the public — formerly known as Twitter,' Linda Kerr-Davis, SSA Midwest-West regional commissioner told employees in a call Thursday, according to Federal News Network (FNN). 'This will become our communication mechanism,' she told reporters. The shift comes as communications staff at the agency has dwindled due to reassignments in front-facing roles at field offices across the country. Officials announced that regional SSA offices would no longer have fully staffed public affairs offices as a result. 'If you're used to getting press releases and Dear Colleague letters, you might want to subscribe to the official SSA X account, so you can stay up to date with agency news,' Kerr-Davis said, as reported by FNN. 'I know this probably sounds very foreign to you — it did to me as well — and not what we are used to, but we are in different times now,' she added. The SSA's last press release, which was posted March 27 on the website, denied reports that local field offices may be closing. It also features a link to an inactive social media account for the agency that encouraged website viewers to follow the press office on X. The past few months have seen considerable changes at the agency under the Trump administration, which announced new verification standards that were later walked back by officials who said they were evaluating policies to prevent fraud. The updated policies have caused some concerns for rural communities and people who require assistance to travel to the in-person offices or those who have trouble logging in to their accounts online for help. The final memo on its website said the agency would work with the public to address the issues. 'SSA works closely with local congressional delegations before closing any office permanently,' the last release reads. 'The agency also reassigns employees from an affected office to other locations to help communities access in-person services.' Officials noted that while no field offices have been permanently closed, some buildings may have their leases terminated as the department has turned mostly to virtual hearings. The Hill reached out to the SSA for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
11-04-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Social Security Administration ‘will be using X to communicate' moving forward
The Social Security Administration (SSA) on Thursday unveiled that it would use social platform X to make announcements going forward, instead of traditional press releases or memos typically posted to the website. 'The agency will be using X to communicate to the press and the public — formerly known as Twitter,' Linda Kerr-Davis, SSA Midwest-West (MWW) Regional Commissioner told employees in a call Thursday, according to Federal News Network (FNN). 'This will become our communication mechanism,' she told reporters. The shift comes as communications staff at the agency has dwindled due to reassignments in front-facing roles at field offices across the country. Officials announced that Regional SSA offices would no longer have fully staffed public affairs offices as a result. 'If you're used to getting press releases and Dear Colleague letters, you might want to subscribe to the official SSA X account, so you can stay up to date with agency news,' Kerr-Davis said as reported by FNN. 'I know this probably sounds very foreign to you — it did to me as well — and not what we are used to, but we are in different times now,' she added. The SSA's last press release, which was posted March 27 on the website, denied reports that local field offices may be closing. It also features a link to an inactive social media account for the agency that encouraged website viewers to follow the press office on X. The last few months have amounted to considerable changes at the agency under the Trump administration, which announced new verification standards that were later walked back by officials who said they were evaluating policies to prevent fraud. The updated policies have caused some concerns for rural communities and people who require assistance to travel to the in-person offices or those who have trouble logging in to their accounts online for help. The final memo on its website said the agency would work with the public to address the issues. 'SSA works closely with local congressional delegations before closing any office permanently,' the last release reads. 'The agency also reassigns employees from an affected office to other locations to help communities access in-person services.' Officials noted that while no field offices have been permanently closed, some buildings may have their leases terminated as the department has turned mostly to virtual hearings.
WIRED
11-04-2025
- Business
- WIRED
The Social Security Administration Is Gutting Regional Staff and Shifting All Public Communications to X
Apr 11, 2025 1:39 PM The SSA's shift to Elon Musk's X comes as the agency plans to cut its regional office workforce by roughly 90 percent, WIRED has learned. Photograph: Nikolas Kokovlis/AP The Social Security Administration will no longer be communicating with the media and the public through press releases and 'dear colleague' letters, as it shifts its public communication exclusively to X, sources tell WIRED. The news comes amid major staffing cuts at the agency. 'We are no longer planning to issue press releases or those dear colleague letters to inform the media and public about programmatic and service changes,' said SSA regional commissioner Linda Kerr-Davis in a meeting with managers earlier this week. 'Instead, the agency will be using X to communicate to the press and the public…so this will become our communication mechanism.' Previously, the agency used dear colleague letters to engage with advocacy groups and third-party organizations that help people access social security benefits. Recent letters covered everything from the agency's new identity verification procedures to updates on the accuracy of SSA death records ('less than one-third of 1 percent are erroneously reported deaths that need to be corrected,' the agency wrote, in contrast to what Elon Musk claims). The letters and press releases were also a crucial communications tool for SSA employees, who used them to stay up on agency news. Since SSA staff cannot sign up for social media on government computers without submitting a special security request, the change could have negative consequences on the ability for employees to do their jobs. It could also impact people receiving social security benefits who rely on the letters for information about access benefits. 'Do they really expect senior citizens will join this platform?' asked one current employee. 'Most managers aren't even on it. How isn't this a conflict of interest?' Another staffer added: 'This will ensure that the public does not get the information they need to stay up to date.' The Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment by WIRED. Linda Kerr-Davis also did not immediately respond to a request for comment by WIRED. Elon Musk, who is leading the charge to radically reduce the size of the federal workforce on behalf of President Trump, bought X (then Twitter) in October 2022. The platform has for years battled the spread of misinformation. After he purchased the company, Musk fired contract content moderators and shifted content moderation efforts to a crowd-sourced fact-checking tool called Community Notes. In 2023, an EU official warned the platform was a major source of fake news, based on a commissioned study that reported 'Twitter has the highest discoverability" of disinformation. The regional office workforce will soon be cut by roughly 87 percent, sources tell WIRED. Regional office staff manage IT support, policy questions, labor relations issues, reasonable accommodations guidance, and public relations. Since February, the SSA has cut 7,000 jobs, according to the Washington Post . Today, the agency has 547 employees working in the nearly dozen regional offices (previously, the number was closer to 700, but many people have retired, a current employee with knowledge of the staffing numbers says). After the cuts, the number is expected to be closer to 70. 'We know that you all depend on these folks to manage your front line, to help with questions,' said Kerr-Davis, who works in the Kansas City regional office. 'I'm going to be pretty candid here in sharing that the support will be pretty minimal until we can stand up our skinny regional office.' Kerr-Davis acknowledged the restructuring could limit the agency's ability to combat fraud, a major goal of Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency. 'Won't losing subject matter experts lead directly to fraud, waste and abuse?' she asked on the call, reading a question from an SSA staffer. 'And yes, I mean, we do rely on [their] help…Things are going to break, and they're going to break fast.' On the call, Kerr-Davis sounded resigned as she relayed news of the changes. 'I know this probably sounds very for foreign to you, it did to me as well,' she said. 'It's not what we are used to, but we are in different times now.' Vittoria Elliott and David Gilbert contributed reporting.
