At least five of the eight regional commissioners whose offices oversee and support the agency’s frontline offices across the country are leaving, according to a source familiar with the agency and an SSA employee not authorized to speak on the record.
The Social Security Administration had largely been spared by the Trump administration’s early efforts to cut staff across government, receiving exemptions for frontline workers from the “deferred-resignation” program, Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, and the purge of workers who had been recently hired or promoted. But that apparently changed this week, triggering the wave of retirement announcements.
“After 35 years of rewarding service with the Social Security Administration, I have decided to retire from my position as regional commissioner in the Western region, effective February 28, 2025,” one regional commissioner, Howard Bowles, wrote in an internal email obtained by Government Executive, though he did not specify the reason for his departure. “It has truly been an honor to serve the American people during my tenure.”
Regional commissioners LeeAnn Stuever, Rick Lenoir, Rose Mary Buehler and Raymond Egan are also leaving, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Their departures come amid rumors of impending staff cuts at SSA, where the workforce is already at a 50-year low and has toiled amid a customer servi ..
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