Scoop: Social Security watchdog starts customer wait time audit
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano with President Trump in the Oval Office on Aug. 14. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Social Security Administration — under pressure from Senate Democrats —is on track to finish an internal audit of the agency's call wait times by year's end, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Democrats and the Trump administration are clashing over how GOP cuts have affected customer wait times, with each side disputing the other's data.
- SSA's acting inspector general said the audit had begun and outlined the year-end time frame for lawmakers in a letter that was first obtained by Axios.
- The audit follows a private meeting between Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano this summer, during which Warren raised concerns about wait times and staffing.
- Bisignano has touted decreased call wait times for customers, pointing to the use of new technology at the agency.
The big picture: Democrats spent much of the August recess hammering the GOP on Social Security, commemorating the program's 90th anniversary with events across their states.
- New whistleblower claims that the DOGE put the private information of hundreds of millions of Americans at risk have spurred fresh Democratic criticism of the Republican management of the agency.
- Democrats are pinning their 2026 midterm hopes largely on cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare made through DOGE and the GOP's massive budget reconciliation bill.
Between the lines: Warren's office released a report in April that said Bisignano was misleading the public about wait times for calls, with data showing significant delays for most callers.
- Bisignano pushed back in a separate letter to Warren last month, telling the Democrat that average call answer times have reached under 10 minutes.
- He also touted a decreased backlog in disability claims and a decrease in field office wait times.
- "After so many years of challenges, your skepticism of the rapid pace at which we have improved customer service is understandable," Bisignano said in the letter.
A spokesperson for the SSA told Axios: "Commissioner Bisignano had a productive meeting with Senator Warren in July, where he presented improved customer service metrics that are currently being realized on the phone, in field offices, and online."
- "Commissioner Bisignano agreed with Senator Warren's suggestion to have SSA OIG audit the numbers he provided to the Senator, which were prepared using long-held measurement methodology by the dedicated federal workforce at the agency," the spokesperson added.
Yes, but: As Axios' Emily Peck has reported, the SSA's reduced wait time claims are difficult to assess.
- The Washington Post recently reported that the agency has cut down on the historical data it now reports to the public.
- And it's not clear that the phone wait data takes into account the amount of time a caller spends waiting on the agency to call them back — or other metrics, including whether their problems are resolved.
Go deeper: Whistleblower warns of massive Social Security data risk
