Disability rights groups filed a suit on Wednesday, claiming that the Trump administration, as well as billionaire Elon Musk, violated various laws when they fired thousands of employees and closed offices at the Social Security Administration.
In a lawsuit filed before a federal court in Washington, D.C., five groups and seven Social Security recipients said that the agency’s cuts have disproportionately impacted disabled beneficiaries and violated their constitutional rights.
Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency spearheaded a campaign to purge federal employees, including about 7,000 Social Security workers, and cut government spending.
Social Security Administration (SSA), which provides benefits to older Americans by sending checks each month to 73,000,000 retired and disabled Americans, is viewed as an important provider. The Social Security Administration is considered one of the few government departments that politicians have traditionally avoided cutting.
The lawsuit filed on Wednesday focuses primarily on the mass firings of employees and the closing of offices that provided customer service for Social Security beneficiaries and investigated civil rights complaints.
They said: “The closure of offices and mass reductions of SSA staff, including civil rights enforcement offices and customer service offices do not promote efficiency – they sabotage SSA’s fundamental mission.”
Requests for comments were not immediately responded to by the White House or Social Security Administration.
Last week, the agency announced that it would delay by two weeks planned cuts in phone service for retirees and would abandon a rule that would have required certain disabled and elderly individuals to visit an office to claim benefits.
The lawsuit accuses Musk and the Social Security Administration of violating federal laws that bar agency actions that are arbitrary and capricious, and another law that prohibits disability discrimination. Plaintiffs claim that the Social Security cuts violate their constitutional right to petition government officials and due process.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the agency closing two offices, terminating 7,000 employees, and requiring that beneficiaries verify their identities in person instead of online or by telephone.