"SSA policy and process changes implemented by the second Trump administration created significant barriers for those seeking to apply for and maintain disability benefits" Everyone who cares about the future of Social Security should read this report.

Matthew Borus@matthewborus.bsky.social · 5mo ago

In this new report, @ksavin.bsky.social, and @calliefreitag.bsky.social and I explain how Trump 2.0 and DOGE built up new barriers to the already-difficult process of getting disability benefits. Let's talk about what we found, and what we recommend to address the issues. 🧵

Great new article on our report on barriers to access in Social Security disability programs. Read all the way to the end. The closing quote from @ksavin.bsky.social is a banger.

Natalie Alms@almsnatalie.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Accessing disability benefits at the Social Security Administration has gotten more difficult since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to new qualitative research. www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...

I started this thread yesterday and had to stop for bed. But it's ready to roll again, so please check it out! This is obviously a story about how it's become harder to access two disability assistance programs, SSI and SSDI. But it's also a story of Trump/DOGE undermining the public sector.

Matthew Borus@matthewborus.bsky.social · 5mo ago

In this new report, @ksavin.bsky.social, and @calliefreitag.bsky.social and I explain how Trump 2.0 and DOGE built up new barriers to the already-difficult process of getting disability benefits. Let's talk about what we found, and what we recommend to address the issues. 🧵

In this new report, @ksavin.bsky.social, and @calliefreitag.bsky.social and I explain how Trump 2.0 and DOGE built up new barriers to the already-difficult process of getting disability benefits. Let's talk about what we found, and what we recommend to address the issues. 🧵

“In the last year, it’s gotten a lot worse” A Qualitative Investigation of Barriers to Disability Benefits in 2025 - DREDF

This report is based on interviews with 52 benefits professionals serving over 8,000 disability claimants nationwide. The independent research finds that recent Social Security Administration administ...

dredf.org

SSI supports 7.4M low-income seniors & people with disabilities but outdated rules and low benefits leave millions in poverty. Our new paper from @socio-steve.bsky.social and @jacklandry.bsky.social models what would happen if Congress modernized SSI. The results are striking. 🧵👇 Full report:

Estimating the Cost and Impacts of the SSI Restoration Act

Stephen Nuñez and Jack Landry find that the SSI Restoration Act would cut poverty among SSI households by nearly 60 percent while updating and strengthening the program.

rooseveltinstitute.org

Must-read new report! It's excellent work, providing crucial insight into how service to Social Security applicants and beneficiaries deteriorated over the past year. It's especially important now that SSA leadership has removed most customer-facing metrics from public view.

Matthew Borus@matthewborus.bsky.social · 5mo ago

I'm thrilled to announce a new report I wrote with @ksavin.bsky.social and @calliefreitag.bsky.social on the impact of DOGE/Trump 2.0 turmoil on Social Security disability programs. As the title says, these programs have always been tough to navigate. But in the last year, they've gotten worse.

I'm thrilled to announce a new report I wrote with @ksavin.bsky.social and @calliefreitag.bsky.social on the impact of DOGE/Trump 2.0 turmoil on Social Security disability programs. As the title says, these programs have always been tough to navigate. But in the last year, they've gotten worse.

“In the last year, it’s gotten a lot worse” A Qualitative Investigation of Barriers to Disability Benefits in 2025 - DREDF

The Mobility Device User Survey (MDUS) reported here was stimulated by reports from mobility device users of the many problems, limitations, and long waits associated with the process of acquiring a m...

dredf.org

If it was just about funding cuts, they wouldn’t have a blackout on communications. Aside from the cancellation of standing meetings, we haven’t heard from our federal partners at the NIH since January 20th. These are people we talked with multiple times a week.

Sharing for visibility www.statnews.com/2025/03/03/n... Thank you @statnews.com

NIH terminates ongoing grants for LGBTQ+ research

Saying that "research programs based on gender identity are often unscientific," the agency wrote to scientists to cancel current grants.

statnews.com

WATCH: “Trump should ignore the judge — Who’s gonna arrest him? The U.S. marshals? They work for Trump.” New Deputy Director of the FBI Dan Bongino makes it clear he believes Trump is above the law. (While saying hello to “Big Balls Mcgroin”) 🎪 🇺🇸

WBUR story up www.wbur.org/news/2025/02...

Canceled meetings and confusion: NIH grant funding in limbo despite court injunction

Science researchers awaiting National Institutes of Health funding say their grant meetings are being canceled, despite a court order blocking the Trump administration from freezing federal funds.

wbur.org

Even before Trump 2.0, the Social Security Administration’s staffing levels were at a 50-year low due to a decade of budget caps & cuts authored by GOP lawmakers. Further staff cuts and office closures can only make things worse for America's most vulnerable. New, @propublica.org

Anxiety Mounts Among Social Security Recipients as DOGE Troops Settle In

Elon Musk’s team has descended on an already understaffed Social Security Administration, which now faces further workforce cuts and closures of vital local offices. The consequences could be signific...

propublica.org

I repeat, if you or a loved one was recently fired from the federal government during your probationary period, and the reason you were given was poor performance, please reach out to us at www.centerforemploymentjustice.com. We have a plan and may be able to help you.

CEJ- Advocates in the Workplace

The balance of power in the workplace has long favored employers, making justice an uphill battle for employees facing unfair treatment. Legal costs, complex regulations, and employer tactics often deter workers from asserting their rights. The Center for Employment Justice (CEJ) was founded to change this—empowering employees through fearless advocacy and strategic legal action. Justice is more than settlements; it’s about vindicating rights, protecting dignity, and driving systemic change. With deep expertise in employment law, we counter employer roadblocks and ensure financial barriers don’t stand in the way. Every employee who fights back strengthens protections for all, and at CEJ, we relentlessly pursue fair outcomes, change lives, and reshape workplace law.

centerforemploymentjustice.com

SSA RDRC is the funding source for our (@ksavin.bsky.social & my) important study focused on the work-related decisions & barriers that SSI recipients face. Absolutely senseless.

Don Moynihan@donmoyn.bsky.social · last yr.

Statement from the Musk-appointed head of SSA celebrating the deletion of research grants studying the financial security of the older adults and the disabled. Just one way that the richest man in the world is dictating societal priorities. www.ssa.gov/news/press/r...

DOGE is going after Social Security data: "There is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is" www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Top Social Security official exits after clash with Musk’s DOGE over data

Yet another top career staffer is leaving the administration amid a disagreement over a request by Elon Musk’s team for sensitive government information.

washingtonpost.com

Maddow: I think it's pretty obvious now that they are using DEI as just a pretext. They're giving everything that, you know, unfashionable boogeyman label to try to avoid people in general, realizing that what they're really doing is just wrecking the US government

Trump is considering executive action to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education

John Tuthill, a scientist who studies brain control of movement, was banned from NIH today due to Trump directives. He was scheduled to give a seminar about his work. But all visiting seminars have been banned. Exchanging ideas is the lifeblood of science, and this will harm progress. 🧪

John Tuthill@tuthill.bsky.social · 2y ago

I was supposed to give a talk in the NIH Neuroscience Seminar Series today, but it was cancelled because of Trump's executive orders. research.ninds.nih.gov/seminars-eve... Amongst the deluge, it seems that most Americans remain unaware that Trump is paralyzing the biomedical research community.