By Staff, Agencies

During his re-election campaign, US President Donald Trump repeatedly pledged that Social Security would not be affected by his administration’s efforts to reduce government spending.

However, the US government agency responsible for providing benefits to tens of millions of older Americans announced plans to reduce its workforce by 7000 employees as part of the Trump administration's broader effort to downsize the federal workforce. 

The Social Security Administration [SSA], which distributes monthly payments to 73 million retired and disabled Americans, stated that it will cut more than 12% of its staff.

The SSA announced in a statement “The agency plans to reduce the size of its bloated workforce and organizational structure, with a significant focus on functions and employees who do not directly provide mission critical services.”

It further added that it “recently set a staffing target of 50000, down from the current level of approximately 57,000 employees,” confirming plans to reduce the number of its regional offices from 10 to 4.

As a key provider of benefits to elderly Americans, the agency has traditionally been considered off-limits for budget cuts by US politicians.

Moreover, on Friday, two dozen senior SSA staff members resigned, according to an internal memo written by Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek.