Crank: “I Love What DOGE Is Doing.” According to an interview with Rep. Jeff Crank on the Mandy Connell Podcast, “HOST: What is your overall feeling on what DOGE is doing and how much of that should be codified into law going forward? CRANK: Well, I love what DOGE is doing. And you can tell how much the American people love it by the reaction from the left. Right? […] So to me I love what DOGE is doing. They need to double down on it, and we shouldn’t just be USAID, it should be you know, the Department of Education, the Department of Defense, for goodness sake. There is waste all over this government. We need to do everything we can to root it out And I’m thrilled.” [Mandy Connell Podcast, 2/11/25] (audio) 00:16:50-00:18:05
Crank Welcomed DOGE Cuts Despite Representing A District That Was Heavily Employed By The Defense Industry. According to Colorado Pols, “Crank’s background as a right-wing radio host and activist with the conservative astroturf advocacy group Americans for Prosperity ideologically predisposes him to support an aggressive assault on the federal bureaucracy like we’re witnessing today. Early last month, Crank even professed to welcome a DOGE purge of the Department of Defense, seemingly oblivious to the potential job losses in his defense-heavy district.” [Colorado Pols, 3/6/25]
In Response To Questions About What Cuts He Specifically Wanted To See At The Education And Defense Department, Cranks Responded With A Generic Statement In Support Of Cutting Government Spending. According to the Colorado Times Recorder, "In response to an email asking Crank to specify the cuts he’d like to see at the Education and Defense Departments, Crank responded with a generic statement in support of cutting federal spending. ‘I support President Trump’s efforts to reduce federal spending and eliminate fraud. The national debt is well over $36 trillion and increases by over $1.8 trillion every year,’ Crank wrote. ‘The national debt has grown to the point where we now spend more simply paying off interest on the debt than we spend on national defense. This is unsustainable… There is no way to save these programs [like Social Security] without serious cuts to federal spending.’" [Colorado Times Recorder, 3/4/25]
More Than 40 Percent Of The Economy In Crank’s District Relied On The Defense Industry. According to the Colorado Times Recorder, "Congressman Jeff Crank (R-Colorado Springs) said on conservative talk radio last month that he supports Trump’s efforts, led by billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to cut the budget of the Department of Defense. That’s notable because Crank’s district is anchored around El Paso County, where defense development and the defense industry account for over 40% of the economy, including aerospace, cybersecurity, and other defense companies." [Colorado Times Recorder, 3/4/25]
Crank, Whose District Was Home To 40,000 Active-Duty Military Members And 80,000 Retired Veterans, Said He Had “Faith” In The Trump Administration’s Cuts. According to Colorado Politics, "U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, Colorado Springs, who represents the El Paso County-based 5th Congressional District, home of 40,000 active-duty military and 80,000 retired vets, earlier told The Gazette he has ‘faith’ that Trump’s executive mandates are clearing the way for a ‘more efficient and effective government.’" [Colorado Politics, 4/30/25]
Some Veteran Students In Colorado Springs Were Unable To Receive Their GI Bill Benefits Because Of Staffing Cuts At The Department Of Veterans Affairs. According to the Hechinger Report, "But the most immediate problems with staffing cuts are payment delays and paperwork errors, student veterans and their advisers said. At Pikes Peak State College, a community college in Colorado Springs, some veterans still hadn’t received their GI Bill benefits as the semester wound down in May, said Paul DeCecco, the college’s director of military and veteran programs. Because of trouble reaching counselors at the VA, others were never able to enroll in the first place, DeCecco said. ‘Counselors are just overwhelmed and not able to respond to students in a timely manner,’ he said. ‘Students are missing semesters as a result.’" [Hechinger Report, 8/12/25]
HEADLINE: “Trump Administration Plans To Cut 80,000 Employees From Veterans Affairs, According To Internal Memo” [Associated Press, 3/5/25]
One Year After DOGE-Era Cuts Resulted In A 12 Percent Cut Of The Social Security Administration’s Workforce, Social Security Offices Across The Country Still Struggled With Staffing. According to Business Insider, "More than a dozen Social Security field offices are listed as closed to in-person service, instead directing customers to reach out by phone or contact the national 800 number. Now, the list of closures has prompted concerns for the beleaguered agency and its recipients. A federal employees' union memo obtained by Business Insider sheds some light on why offices are closed: Some due to operational issues with their buildings, while others are so small that any understaffing forces them to temporarily shut down. […] The closures come at a tumultuous time for the Social Security Administration and its beneficiaries; the agency shed around 7,000 workers, or nearly 12% of its workforce, during the DOGE era, and has had to temporarily reassign some employees to staff phone lines. While the SSA said these office closures are temporary, staffing issues and a lack of field offices could be an increasing problem for the administration and recipients alike. Some currently-shuttered offices simply don't have enough staff. These smaller offices, called resident stations, are often staffed by just one person and serve low-population areas. Two resident stations in rural Montana and Wyoming are closed for lack of workers." [Business Insider, 4/23/26]
HEADLINE: "Social Security Stops Reporting Call Wait Times And Other Metrics" [Washington Post, 6/20/25]
HEADLINE: "As Social Security Services Are Cut Back, Millions Of Seniors Face Long Drives" [Axios, 4/8/25]
HEADLINE: "Social Security Website Keeps Crashing, As DOGE Demands Cuts To IT Staff" [Washington Post, 4/7/25]
HEADLINE: "Social Security Faces Thousands More Job Cuts Even With Service In Tailspin" [Washington Post, 4/4/25]
CBPP Said The Trump Administration Had Pushed Out 7,000 Social Security Workers. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Over the past five months, the Trump Administration has forced the Social Security Administration (SSA) through a radical transformation that threatens to disrupt services for the largely older and severely disabled people who most rely on the agency.[1] The Trump Administration and its so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have created huge gaps in customer service and support by indiscriminately pushing out 7,000 workers to hit an arbitrary staffing reduction target. This is the largest staffing cut in SSA’s history.[2] (See Figure 1.)" [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/23/25]
The Social Security Administration Website Crashed Four Times In Ten Days In March Because Servers Were Overloaded. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
Field Office Managers At Social Security Offices Had To Answer Phones In Place Of Receptionists Because DOGE Had Pushed Out So Many Federal Employees. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
DOGE Eliminated The Social Security Administration’s System To Monitor Customer Experience. According to the Washington Post, "The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. And the phones keep ringing. And ringing." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
Early February-Late March 2025: AARP Said More Than 2,000 People Per Week Had Called Expressing Concerns About Whether They Would Continue To Get Their Social Security Benefits. According to the Washington Post, "Alarmed lawmakers are straining to answer questions back home from angry constituents. Calls have flooded into congressional offices. AARP announced Monday that more than 2,000 people a week have called the retiree organization since early February — double the usual number — with concerns about whether benefits they paid for during their working careers will continue. Social Security is the primary source of income for about 40 percent of older Americans." [Washington Post, 3/25/25]
2025: 125,270 Coloradans In The 5th Congressional District Relied On Social Security Benefits. According to the Social Security Administration, in 2025, 125,270 Coloradans in the 5th congressional district received Social Security benefits. [Social Security Administration, Colorado, 2025]
Crank: “I Love What DOGE Is Doing.” According to an interview with Rep. Jeff Crank on the Mandy Connell Podcast, “HOST: What is your overall feeling on what DOGE is doing and how much of that should be codified into law going forward? CRANK: Well, I love what DOGE is doing. And you can tell how much the American people love it by the reaction from the left. Right? […] So to me I love what DOGE is doing. They need to double down on it, and we shouldn’t just be USAID, it should be you know, the Department of Education, the Department of Defense, for goodness sake. There is waste all over this government. We need to do everything we can to root it out And I’m thrilled.” [Mandy Connell Podcast, 2/11/25] (audio) 00:16:50-00:18:05
Crank Applauded Trump’s Decision To Dismantle The Department Of Education. According to a press release from Rep. Jeff Crank, "Today, President Trump signed an Executive Order to dismantle the Department of Education. President Trump's Executive Order to dismantle this department will eliminate bureaucracy and bring decision making one step closer to parents who best understand the needs of their children. Since 1979, the federal government has spent over trillions on the Department of Education with little to show in return. ‘I have been incredibly vocal in my support for eliminating the Department of Education,’ said Rep. Crank. ‘I applaud President Trump's decision in returning the power of education decisions to parents and local governments, where it rightfully belongs. For too long, Washington bureaucrats have been making reckless decisions that have led to lower test scores and poor morale across our nation's classrooms. Education is essential to success in life and I look forward to working with the President to protect education funding and to support students, not systems.’" [Press Release – Rep. Jeff Crank, 3/20/25]
Crank: “I Have Been Vocal In My Support For Eliminating The Department Of Education.” According to KOAA, "Southern Colorado school districts this week were still trying to determine how large-scale Department of Education (DOE) cuts might impact their operations and funding. On Tuesday evening, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced the DOE is cutting its staff by half in an effort to begin the process of shutting down the federal agency. President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to shutter the DOE and bring education back fully under state control. […] But first-term Republican Congressman Jeff Crank, who represents much of El Paso County, has consistently agreed with President Trump in support of dismantling the DOE, arguing the point many times on the campaign trail last year. ‘I have been vocal in my support for eliminating the Department of Education,’ said Rep. Jeff Crank. ‘The federal government should not be in the business of deciding what books are in the library or what the curriculum should be. This power should be up to the states.’" [KOAA, 3/15/25]