The Department of Government Efficiency largely reversed course on its plans to cut hundreds of thousands of square feet in leases tied to the Social Security Administration, data shows.
DOGE initially said it was terminating 47 properties operated by the Social Security Administration — the vast majority of which were located in states that voted for Donald Trump. The cuts sparked concern from advocates for older adults, some of whom told NOTUS that the closures could hinder residents’ ability to access services.
DOGE backtracked on most of the Social Security office closures this week.
Over half of the Social Security Administration sites set to be shuttered by DOGE are no longer listed among its list of lease terminations; only 23 of the 47 properties remain. The total square footage set to be cut fell dramatically, from 330,064 square feet initially to 88,209 as of Wednesday.
Where Social Security Office Space Was Being Cut
DOGE initially said it would terminate nearly 50 leases tied to the Social Security Administration, only to dramatically reduce the scope of its cuts this week. Below shows the originally proposed loss of square footage at each Social Security site as of last week compared to this week, color-coded by the electoral lean of each state.
The reversal is part of a broader trend. The General Services Administration has issued “827 lease notifications” and “117 letters of rescission” as part of its effort to review federal leases, a spokesperson told NOTUS.
Since last week, DOGE has unlisted 136 of the lease terminations it took credit for.
“In instances where the current space remains the most suitable option — whether temporarily or longer term — we are adjusting our approach,” the DOGE spokesperson said in a statement. “For these agencies, we are either rescinding termination notices or, in some cases, not issuing them at all.”
The spokesperson said the administration “is exploring canceling 1000+ leases that agencies no longer identify as critical — this will result in significant savings of taxpayer dollars.”
The reversals also come on the heels of a Tuesday announcement that the Social Security Administration will begin requiring more in-person identity checks, the agency told reporters.
Four of the original cancellations were in places where the next closest office was more than two hours driving distance away, including in Kalispell and Missoula in Montana; Rock Springs, Wyoming; and Minot, North Dakota. All four are no longer on the list of canceled leases.
Lawmakers NOTUS spoke to last week expressed concern about the effects of closing Social Security offices would have on older adults and other beneficiaries and said they were looking into how the closures might affect their constituents. But Republicans continued to support DOGE, even as they seek carve-outs to its cuts.
Earlier this month, Rep. Tom Cole said he lobbied DOGE to avoid the closure of three federal offices in his district, including a Social Security office. “All three of these places provide vital and valuable services to Oklahomans and I am so proud to have advocated for them,” Cole said online.
The Social Security Administration told news outlets earlier this month that many of the spaces being closed were no longer public-facing, having once been used for hearings now held virtually. It remains unclear how many of the facilities still shuttering were previously public-facing.
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Correction: A previous version of this story attributed a statement about closed offices to the General Services Administration; it was the Social Security Administration.
Mark Alfred and Helen Huiskes are NOTUS reporters and Allbritton Journalism Institute fellows.