Disability rights groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration and billionaire Elon Musk, alleging that mass layoffs and office closures at the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) have disproportionately harmed disabled beneficiaries. The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Wednesday, claims that the termination of 7,000 SSA employees and the shuttering of civil rights and customer service offices violate constitutional rights and federal laws protecting people with disabilities.
Musk, through the Department of Government Efficiency, has led an aggressive push to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending, including cuts at the SSA, which provides benefits to 73 million retired and disabled Americans. The lawsuit argues that these actions undermine the SSA’s mission and impede citizens’ rights to petition the government and receive due process. It seeks to halt the terminations and office closures while also preventing requirements for in-person identity verification.
The SSA and White House have yet to respond to the lawsuit. However, the SSA recently delayed planned phone service cuts by two weeks and scrapped a rule mandating in-person visits for some beneficiaries. Plaintiffs argue that eliminating civil rights enforcement offices and reducing SSA staff sabotages the agency’s fundamental purpose rather than improving efficiency.
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