The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts because the servers were overloaded. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones at the front desk as receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. But the agency no longer has a system to monitor customers’ experience with these services, because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk.
...
The federal agency that delivers $1.5 trillion a year in earned benefits to 73 million retired workers, their survivors and poor and disabled Americans is engulfed in crisis
...
the agency is run by a caretaker leader in his sixth week on the job who has raced to push out more than 12 percent of the staff of 57,000. He has conceded that the agency’s phone service “sucks” and acknowledged that Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service is really in charge, pushing a single-minded mission to find benefits fraud despite vast evidence that the problem is overstated.
Is anyone home? Is someone going to protect the American people?
Topics:
|
|
Discussing:
- New images could change cancer diagnostics, but ICE detained the Harvard scientist who analyzes them (1 reply)
- A 50501 day of protest, Saturday, April 19, 2025 (3 replies)
- Downtown Knoxville parking requires smartphone and credit? (4 replies)
- Wonder what Kane thinks? (3 replies)
- Parking in Knoxville (2 replies)
- Nationwide 'Hands Off' Protests today, April 5, 2025 (5 replies)
- Burchett at Cotton Eyed Joes last Saturday (3 replies)
- China imposes 34% reciprocal tariffs on imports of US goods in retaliation for Trump’s trade war (2 replies)
- Liberation Day 2025 (3 replies)
- Bird flu, new pandemic? (1 reply)
- Horse of a Different Color: a Political Fantasy (2 replies)
- With Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service in charge, is Social Security breaking down? (1 reply)
TN Progressive
- The Meidas Touch (RoaneViews)
- Massive Security Breach Analysis (RoaneViews)
- What Trae Said! (RoaneViews)
- Ever Seen a Cover done this fine? (RoaneViews)
- (Whitescreek Journal)
- Lee's Fried Chicken in Alcoa closed (BlountViews)
- Alcoa, Hall Rd. Corridor Study meeting, July 30, 2024 (BlountViews)
- My choices in the August election (Left Wing Cracker)
- July 4, 2024 - aka The Twilight Zone (Joe Powell)
- Chef steals food to serve at restaurant? (BlountViews)
- Blount County, TDOT make road deal for gun mfg ignoring town of Louisville,TN, (BlountViews)
- Winter at the Big Rocks (Whitescreek Journal)
TN Politics
- U.S. Senate Dems request report on cuts to Social Security Administration (TN Lookout)
- John Cole’s Tennessee: Tennessee’s state bird? The cooked goose. (TN Lookout)
- Republican supermajority passes bills to “dismantle” DEI in state, local government (TN Lookout)
- Tennessee ‘human smuggling’ bill heads to governor’s desk (TN Lookout)
- Tennessee bill denying immigrant children right to an education dead for year (TN Lookout)
- Memphis schools “takeover” bill dead until next year (TN Lookout)
Knox TN Today
- ‘Once Upon a Time’ … 35 times every week! (Knox TN Today)
- Bibles for kids (Knox TN Today)
- HEADLINES 4/23: Pope’s funeral to high school graduation schedules (Knox TN Today)
- South-Doyle soccer ready for another deep postseason run (Knox TN Today)
- Maggie Lamb: Journey to playing Dolly (Knox TN Today)
- Lea Ann Wright found her purpose: Teaching (Knox TN Today)
- Pellissippi and Career Magnet celebrate 10 years (Knox TN Today)
- Sports update and Alcoa Tornadoes are to watch (Knox TN Today)
- Knoxville to rally for Edye Ellis (Knox TN Today)
- Manifold Station: Another forgotten story in the Fork (Knox TN Today)
- Knoxville was ready for legal brews again in 1933 (Knox TN Today)
- HEADLINES 4/22: Earth Day to potholes (Knox TN Today)
Local TV News
- Alcoa's Halle Bailey following mom's famed footsteps to Tennessee softball team (WATE)
- Armed man taken into custody outside of Sevierville day care (WATE)
- New resort coming to Sevierville sparks traffic concerns from neighboring residents (WATE)
- Greenback prepares for thousands of visitors ahead of Rock the Country music festival (WATE)
- East TN families receive refunds as cabinet business files for bankruptcy (WATE)
- Knox County Register of Deeds Nick McBride launches bid to unseat Trustee Justin Biggs (WATE)
- Fallout from state investigation: Knox Co. employee suspended for taking public vehicle home during lunch hour (WBIR)
- Longtime Knox Co. register of deeds takes step to run for trustee, challenging incumbent Justin Biggs (WBIR)
- KPD investigating fatal rollover crash on Broadway (WBIR)
- Tip to county's fraud hotline led county to investigate Trustee Justin Biggs (WBIR)
- The Golden Roast, a popular coffee shop near UT campus, announces sudden closure (WBIR)
- Know Before You Go: 2025 Dogwood Arts Festival (WBIR)
News Sentinel
State News
- Chattanooga airport hits sets March record for boardings - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- New Hamilton County wastewater rules discourage density, developers say - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Jury selection starts in Chattanooga for Memphis officers charged in death of Tyre Nichols - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Reneau, Hamilton County’s newest lawmaker, passes ‘chicken pot pie’ bill - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
Wire Reports
- What the science says about artificial food dyes - The Washington Post (Business)
- US stocks close higher after Trump signals thaw in trade war - ABC News (Business)
- Trump Live Updates: China Tariff News, Education Executive Orders and More - The New York Times (US News)
- Southwest Airlines joins rivals Delta, United in cutting flights, scrapping forecasts - New York Post (Business)
- Quest to retake $20B in climate money puts Trump agencies at ‘significant’ risk, attorney warned - Politico (US News)
- 5 Things Elon Musk Accomplished With Trump - The New York Times (Business)
- Wildfire in New Jersey Pine Barrens expected to grow before it’s contained, officials say - AP News (US News)
- IBM Results Fail to Meet Market Hopes on Concerns About Tariffs, DOGE Cuts - Bloomberg.com (Business)
- Eli Lilly sues companies selling alternative versions of its weight loss drug : Shots - Health News - NPR (Business)
- How Sam Alito Inadvertently Revealed His Own Homophobia From the Bench - Slate (US News)
- Former Pentagon official on Hegseth turmoil: 'It looks like they actually broke the law' - NPR (US News)
- Democratic US Senator Dick Durbin to retire, sparking competitive Illinois primary - Reuters (US News)
- Gold prices plunge in biggest one-day drop in years. Is the record rally over? - MarketWatch (Business)
- Treasury chief floats possible de-escalation with Beijing but says no talks yet - Politico (Business)
- Highland Park parade shooter skips sentencing as prosecutors lay out evidence of attack for first time - Chicago Sun-Times (US News)
Local Media
Lost Medicaid Funding
Search and Archives
TN Progressive
Nearby:
- Blount Dems
- Herston TN Family Law
- Inside of Knoxville
- Instapundit
- Jack Lail
- Jim Stovall
- Knox Dems
- MoxCarm Blue Streak
- Outdoor Knoxville
- Pittman Properties
- Reality Me
- Stop Alcoa Parkway
Beyond:
- Nashville Scene
- Nashville Post
- Smart City Memphis
- TN Dems
- TN Journal
- TN Lookout
- Bob Stepno
- Facing South
Hello?!
Thanks BIZGRRL for documenting these disasters. But you buried the lede.
"Is anyone home? Is someone going to protect the American people?"
I don't have an answer and I don't know that anyone does. We're in tower times.