The True Cost of Undermining Our Civil Service

When political rhetoric targets the “deep state” and promises to dismantle the federal bureaucracy, it often sounds abstract. But for millions of Americans, the civil service isn’t an abstract concept; it’s the bedrock of essential services, from veterans’ benefits to environmental protection. And as I’ve recently discovered, gutting these vital agencies, particularly those like the Social Security Administration (SSA), carries a devastating personal cost.

President Donald Trump has openly discussed plans to drastically reduce the federal workforce, potentially allowing him to dismiss tens of thousands of career civil servants. While framed as an efficiency measure, the real-world implications for ordinary citizens are far from efficient – they are chaotic, unjust, and financially ruinous. My own experience with the SSA serves as a stark warning.

In March 2025, I received a letter from the Social Security Administration. It informed me that my Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Medicare benefits were being canceled, effective immediately. The reason? A recalculation of my employment income from 2022. This decision was not only backdated three years but came as a complete shock. I had no prior indication of any issue.

Naturally, I appealed. The SSA’s response to my appeal was bewildering: a letter asking why I hadn’t submitted the necessary paperwork in 2022. The irony is excruciating. How could I submit paperwork for a situation I wasn’t even aware of until March 2025? The agency’s own delay in processing and communicating this alleged discrepancy has now left me facing an overpayment demand of over $44,000. To fight this bureaucratic nightmare, I am now forced to retain legal counsel, incurring further financial and emotional strain.

My case is not an isolated incident. It is a symptom of a larger problem: an understaffed, overburdened Social Security Administration struggling to keep pace with its immense workload. Years of budget cuts, hiring freezes, and a high rate of employee attrition have left dedicated public servants stretched thin, leading to errors, delays, and a system that can feel unresponsive and punitive to those it is meant to serve.

Imagine the ripple effect if an administration actively seeks to dismantle this workforce further. More errors, longer wait times, and increased hardship for the millions of Americans who rely on these benefits – retirees, people with disabilities, and survivors – would become the norm. The SSA processes millions of claims annually, and each claim represents a human life, often a vulnerable one.

The civil service is not a collection of nameless bureaucrats; it is composed of professionals dedicated to public service. They are the ones who ensure our government functions, from processing tax refunds to delivering mail, from conducting scientific research to safeguarding public health. Undermining their capacity and institutional knowledge is not just an attack on government; it’s an attack on the very services that bind our society and provide a safety net for its most vulnerable.

My $44,000 overpayment, stemming from a bureaucratic error and delayed communication, is a direct consequence of a system under strain. Further cuts to the civil service, particularly at critical agencies like the SSA, would not only exacerbate such injustices but would fundamentally erode the public’s trust in its government’s ability to serve its citizens. We must recognize the true, human cost of such policies before it’s too late.

Jason Officer, 
Littlestown