Social Security pushes back on Warren, touts transparency and service under Trump

The Social Security Administration is pushing back against Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., after she accused the agency of removing key data and covering up dysfunction.

In a Sept. 16, 2025 letter and data report shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano claimed Warren’s analysis was inaccurate. 

He said the agency is more transparent and performing better under the Trump administration than it did under the prior administration. The documents reflect SSA’s position and have not been independently verified.

‘SSA currently reports nearly three times the number of data elements on the performance webpage under the Trump Administration (30) than it did under the Biden Administration (11),’ Bisignano wrote.

‘These facts conclusively demonstrate that you are wrong in alleging a lack of transparency.’

He also pushed back on Warren’s charge of a cover-up, saying SSA has made improvements in customer service, including ‘shorter wait times on the phones and in offices, as well as reduced backlogs.’ Bisignano said 81 percent of performance measures are better than before, with the rest about the same.

According to SSA’s data, average phone wait times dropped from 29 minutes in 2024 to 16 minutes in 2025, with August down to just 9 minutes.

Pending disability determinations fell from nearly 1.2 million in August 2024 to about 907,000 a year later. Disability claim processing sped up from 231 days to 217 days. SSA reports retirement and survivor claims were processed on time 87% of the time in August 2025.

Bisignano wrote that the agency’s goal is to become a ‘digital-first’ operation that runs efficiently and serves people whether they call, visit an office or use the website. He said constant monitoring of key performance indicators is part of that effort.

He also urged Warren to work with SSA instead of spreading what he called ‘fearmongering and reckless lies that Social Security is going away.’

‘The time has come to stop weaponizing Social Security,’ he wrote. ‘The American people do not want a Social Security War Room. They want their leaders to protect and preserve Social Security, just as President Trump has promised.’