COVID-19 exacerbated long wait times for Social Security services, but a new study says budget cuts had weakened the agency before the pandemic.
The Center on Budget on Policy Priorities (CBPP) says Congress cut the agency’s operating budget by 17% since 2010 after adjusting for inflation.
As a result, the agency closed field offices and cut staff, resulting in longer wait times.
Ten states — Alaska, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin — lost more than 20% of their Social Security staff since 2010, and four states — Alaska, Iowa, Virginia and West Virginia — lost more than 25%, according to a CNBC report that crunched the numbers in the CBPP report.