White House Moves to Defund Social Security Advisory Board

The Trump administration plans to defund the bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB), which provides objective analysis on Social Security policy. The move to cut the board's $3 million budget to zero is part of broader efforts to reduce government size and eliminate independent voices.

The Trump administration intends to ax the budget of the Social Security Advisory Board, a bipartisan body advising on Social Security policies, sources familiar with the matter informed Reuters. This decision aligns with the administration's broader cost-cutting goals and its efforts to curb independent voices within the government.

Established in the 1990s, the SSAB offers non-partisan research pivotal to policy debates and legislation, though it lacks decision-making power. Recent federal budgets reveal plans to reduce its funding to zero. While the White House's Office of Management and Budget has yet to confirm this cut, insiders say the proposal is in the pipeline.

Critics, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and union officials, argue that these cuts, alongside those to the Social Security Administration, threaten essential services. Meanwhile, board officials, like Bob Joondeph, express concern over the elimination of such a unique bipartisan entity during a period of significant governmental downsizing.

(With inputs from agencies.)