Millions of Americans receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) may face confusion and delays in receiving their payments during the summer of 2025, due to the way payment dates fall on the calendar.
On top of that, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is bringing added scrutiny to the Social Security Administration (SSA), leading to leadership changes and increased pressure on beneficiaries.
SSI Payment Delays Due to Calendar Quirks
SSI payments, which are meant to support over 7.1 million Americans living with disabilities or low income, are usually sent out on the first of every month. But when that date falls on a weekend or holiday, the government sends the payment earlier.
That will happen this May, when recipients will get two payments — one on May 1 and the second on May 30 — because June 1 is a Saturday. As a result, there will be no payment issued during the calendar month of June.
This is not unusual. A similar situation happened in March 2025, and it will happen again in August, when SSI payments will be made on August 1 and August 29. This will again leave September without a scheduled check, before two more checks are sent in October.
For many Americans who live month to month, these changes can cause financial stress, especially when they plan grocery trips or bill payments based on expected SSI deposits.
Musk’s DOGE Targets Social Security
While SSI recipients deal with these changes, the Social Security Administration is also under increased pressure from Elon Musk’s DOGE, a department created to cut fraud and waste in government programs.
Earlier this year, Musk claimed millions of dead people were still marked as eligible for Social Security benefits. Experts, however, said this was more of a system error, not active fraud, and that checks were not being sent to deceased people.
Despite the clarification, DOGE has begun requesting more documents from Social Security recipients, and some were told they could lose benefits if they failed to respond.
SSA Leadership Shakeup After Musk Disputes
DOGE’s aggressive approach has led to major internal disagreements. Michelle King, the acting commissioner of SSA, resigned earlier this month after reportedly clashing with Musk over access to sensitive SSA data.
“DOGE wanted access to SSA’s sensitive files… and she was replaced,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works.
While it is not clear which records DOGE wanted, the request sparked serious concerns about data privacy and political interference in a critical safety net program.
Frank Bisignano Nominated as SSA Commissioner
President Trump has nominated Frank Bisignano to permanently lead the SSA. However, his appointment is still under Senate review. In the meantime, Leland Dudek, who previously led the SSA’s anti-fraud division, has been appointed acting commissioner.
The White House issued a statement saying:
“President Trump has nominated the highly qualified and talented Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration… the agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as acting commissioner.”
Lawmakers React: “Where’s Elon Musk?”
Veteran Democratic Congressman John Larson expressed strong frustration during a recent DOGE oversight hearing, accusing the Trump administration and Elon Musk of trying to privatize Social Security.
“Where’s Elon Musk? If he’s so great and has found all this fraud, why isn’t he here explaining it?” Larson shouted, demanding greater accountability.
He criticized Republican leadership for not protecting the independence of the committee and raised concerns about Musk’s intentions to reform Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.