Credit: larryhw/Adobe Stock

The ongoing actions to cut staff and fundamentally reshape the Social Security Administration being taken by the Trump administration are ostensibly being made in the name of efficiency, but two former Republican-appointed leaders of the SSA say the end result will be detrimental to American retirees.

Andrew Biggs and Jason Fichtner, former senior SSA officials who were appointed during the second Bush administration, shared this warning during the American College of Financial Services’ inaugural Horizons retirement conference in San Diego. They said the SSA — like any government or private organization — can always benefit from a commitment to efficiency, but they shared their frank and candid concern with the Trump administration’s cavalier approach to “reform.”


NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

BenefitsPRO

Join BenefitsPRO

Don’t miss crucial news and insights you need to navigate the shifting employee benefits industry. Join BenefitsPRO.com now!

  • Unlimited access to BenefitsPRO.com - your roadmap to thriving in a disrupted environment
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
  • Exclusive discounts on BenefitsPRO.com and ALM events.

Already have an account? Sign In Now
Join BenefitsPRO

Copyright © 2025 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.