12/6/24: Allen Joined The Congressional DOGE Caucus And Said He “Looked Forward To Partnering” With Members In The Caucus. According to a press release from Rep. Rick Allen, “This week, Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) joined the Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus. This caucus will focus on highlighting the work of and coordinating with the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, to implement legislation to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government. Upon the announcement, Congressman Allen issued the following statement: ‘Since being elected to Congress, I have been committed to reining in the size and scope of the federal government. The last four years under the Biden-Harris Administration have proven that top-down regulations, wasteful spending, and unelected bureaucrats wielding unchecked power do more harm than good to the American people. I look forward to partnering with my colleagues on the DOGE Caucus to carry out our mission of bringing meaningful change to Washington.’” [Press Release – Rep. Rick Allen, 12/6/24]
Allen Defended DOGE From Backlash, Saying The Government Should be Run Like A Public Company. According to the Washington Reporter, “‘What's really distasteful about the backlash from DOGE is that people are demonizing someone who is not only the wealthiest person in the world, but probably one of the smartest people in the world, who runs public companies. If you're a public company, you answer to the shareholders, and you have to deal with the government. Why shouldn't the government be run like a public company? I believe the taxpayers are shareholders in their government, okay? And they should have some say so as to how this government is run.’” [Washington Reporter, 4/10/25]
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]
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]
2024: 164,224 Georgians In The 12th Congressional District Relied On Social Security Benefits. According to the Social Security Administration, in 2024, 164,224 Georgians in the 12th congressional district received Social Security benefits. [Social Security Administration, Georgia, 2024]
2023: There Were An Estimated 15,500 Federal Workers In Allen’s District. [Center for American Progress, 3/17/25]
As Of May 2025, DOGE Had Canceled Grants Worth Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Across Georgia, Including Many For The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC). According to State Affairs, “Scores of federal grants, contracts and building leases have been wiped out by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), totaling hundreds of millions of dollars in Georgia so far, records show. Thousands of federal employees have been laid off or pushed into buyouts, particularly at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where entire departments focused on health research and virus tracking have been gutted, former workers told State Affairs. Now, state budget analysts are bracing for the fallout from potential deep cuts to health, education, housing, food assistance and other programs cited in the 2026 federal budget proposal that President Donald Trump unveiled on Friday.” [State Affairs, 5/2/25]
More Than $815 Million In Federal Grants For Causes Such As Public Health, Public Schools And Agriculture Across Georgia Were Cut By DOGE. According to State Affairs, “Since its creation in January, Musk’s DOGE office has prompted the elimination of around $160 billion in federal grants, contracts and leases — though some analysts have disputed the accuracy of that figure. A State Affairs analysis of DOGE data found that as of mid-April, more than $815 million in federal grants for public schools, universities, public health, mental health services, housing, immigrant services, agriculture and international causes based in Georgia have been cut. Some of the biggest losses in grant funding have been seen by the international refugee and food assistance nonprofit Care USA, which is headquartered in Atlanta. The organization has been stripped of more than $161 million in grants overseen by the U.S. Agency for International Development for overseas refugee assistance, DOGE data shows.” [State Affairs, 5/2/25]
DOGE Cut More Than $74 Million In Federal Research Grants For Georgia Universities, With Health, Agricultural, And Education Programs Some Of The Hardest Hit. According to the Ledger-Enquirer, “Georgia’s higher education community is reeling after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashed more than $74 million in federal research grants this spring, affecting universities and colleges across the state. […] Several types of programs have been especially hard hit: STEM and health research Addiction studies Vaccine research Alzheimer’s care for underserved communities Agricultural and food security UGA’s $15 million ‘Feed the Future Peanut Innovation Lab’ Other programs impacting global food security Research for local farmers Education and college access UGA lost a $2.8 million grant for graduate student training. AmeriCorps College Access Program lost nearly $300,000, reducing college admissions support for low-income high schoolers.” [Ledger-Enquirer, 7/15/25]