KC workers sound alarm on Social Security staffing crisis

The big picture: Social Security serves almost 70 million beneficiaries, and union leaders say years of budget cuts, hiring freezes and a 50-year staffing shortage are eroding service. Field offices have taken the brunt of the reductions, with Kansas City's regional office managing claims from across the country.

What they're saying: "It is a choice that spits on every worker who has paid into this program each year without fail," said Kaitlyn Austin, a former Social Security worker and member of AFGE Local 1336. "We can't stay silent while our customers endure unconscionable wait times and delays."

• Austin said that when she started in 2022, average hold times on the agency's 1-800 line were 18 minutes. When she left this summer, they'd ballooned to six hours, and some callers had been trying for days.

What's next: AFGE organizers say they'll continue to push for Congressional funding and accountability, and are asking lawmakers to raise taxes on high earners to preserve and expand Social Security benefits.

The bottom line: One worker now serves 1,480 Social Security beneficiaries.

• "That's not sustainable," Austin said. "We're losing the people who actually know how to make the system work."

Go deeper: National Axios report on the SSA staffing crisis