Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a coalition of 21 states in filing an amicus brief in support of a preliminary injunction to stop ongoing mass layoffs, office closures, and restructuring at the Social Security Administration (SSA). The brief, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, supports the plaintiffs in American Association of People with Disabilities v. Dudek.
The filing seeks to block actions by acting SSA Administrator Leland Dudek and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which are accused of dismantling SSA operations without justification. Plaintiffs allege that the changes violate Section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the First and Fifth Amendments.
According to the coalition, these changes threaten monthly Social Security benefits for millions of Americans, including approximately 1.2 million Marylanders. Reports cite increased wait times, office closures, and website outages due to indiscriminate staffing cuts and disorganized restructuring efforts.
Approximately 2,800 SSA employees have already left the agency due to early retirements and buyouts encouraged by DOGE, with more reductions expected. These cuts have led to longer lines at field offices, increased hold times—up 50% in 2025—for phone services, and technical issues online. The Office of Transformation, which manages SSA’s website, is reportedly laying off about half its IT staff.
Less than 1% of benefits paid between 2015 and 2022 were classified as improper, mostly due to errors or delays, not fraud. Despite this, false claims have circulated about the SSA’s financial management, including accusations of widespread improper payments and deceased recipients receiving checks.
The SSA provides essential income to retirees, people with disabilities, and survivors, and also serves as a gateway for access to Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP benefits. According to the National Academy of Social Insurance, 42% of Americans aged 65 and older could not afford basic needs without Social Security income. As of December 2024, nearly 90% of Americans in that age group received benefits, with 40% depending on it for at least half their income.
The amicus brief argues that the changes have disrupted access to benefits, particularly for rural populations and people with disabilities, and have also strained state-level assistance programs.
Joining Maryland in the brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
