President Donald Trump and deputy president Elon Musk have been slashing and burning as much of the federal government as possible before someone stops them.
Lots of people support what they consider long overdue government efficiency and right-sizing moves -- unless they're seniors who recently heard about the Social Security Administration staff cuts and the . I guess it's wonderful to see someone FINALLY cutting government waste -- unless they view your Social Security access as unnecessary and see your Social Security benefits as something they can get to when they can.
The Social Security Administration has listed 47 Social Security offices scheduled to close in 2025. That included the Houma office.
I'm wondering whether the New Orleans office is next.
President Donald Trump and his efficiency czar, Elon Musk, shown here at the White House on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, want to trim the Social Security Administration by 12% across the board.
I'm at a certain age and a certain stage that I regularly check in and check on Social Security goings-on. Any workers who have had money taken out of their regular paycheck wish they had that money for other things rather than sending it to the federal government to keep the Social Security fund going -- until they realize they'll receive benefit checks for the rest of their lives when they're older and eligible to get monthly checks.
There's a lot more to Social Security calculations, but a basic calculation is based on your average indexed monthly earnings in your 35 highest earning years after adjusting for inflation. Your earnings history might include job changes and significant salary dips and increases, so this might not be as easy as determining a benefit based on making $50,000 a year for 35 years.
There are far more ways to calculate what level of benefits you might receive than you might imagine. That's why help is important.
I'm a perfect example why you shouldn't rely solely on an online calculation or take the first answer you get from a Social Security representative.
It turns out that with more specific, deeper dives you might not get as much as you thought you might or you could get hundreds more than a basic calculation suggests. I'm fortunate that I fall in the later category. But it took some time to learn that.
It took snail mail, appointments, telephone calls -- sometimes being on hold for two hours -- and in-person office visits. I'm not done. There's more. I have another appointment. But I can't go to the New Orleans SSA office I know. I have to go to Kenner. That's more than 14 miles and 24 minutes away from the office where I've seen my friendly, helpful reps.
It's not as though I know the bureaucrats there by their first name, know their children or their birthdays. But I recognize them, I know when and where to park and what to expect as I sit in a chair to wait after walking through the metal detector.
The office in Suite 500 at 400 Poydras St. in the Warehouse District has been closed since March 17 -- ""
The official word is that the office is scheduled to reopen after the work is done on April 18.
Normally, I'd believe that and move on.
But the Trump-Musk fire-first, aim-later approach threatens nearly anything stable. Including Social Security.
"Yelpers report this location has closed," a Yelp post says. They did not say temporarily, or due to construction. Some think it's been closed as a part of the lean and mean cuts. The office employees are working remotely, but it's not the same. I'm going to Kenner to see someone.
Until recently, people in the Houma region were able to visit the Suite 100 office at 178 Civic Center Blvd. with or without an appointment, just like in New Orleans. (WARNING: Appointments save you wait times as long as six hours.) Turns out there's more to the story. "This is a small hearings PRS, which is a room within another SSA office. Â As most of our hearings are held virtually, we no longer need as many in-person hearings sites."
I'm all for government assessments leading to greater efficiencies. But helping seniors get what they're owed -- without delay -- is not a game.
Trump, Musk and feds with a political antenna should realize it's not worth upsetting seniors.
Young people, check your status before they take away that service.
