'Kafkaesque nightmare': MSNBC's Rachel Maddow tears into latest DOGE move
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow tore into the latest cuts at the hands of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency — an 87% reduction to the workforce at regional Social Security offices at a time, she said, when its customer service is "already absolutely collapsing."
Maddow flagged what she called "bad news" after WIRED reported that the Social Security Administration is gutting regional offices and shifting all its communications to Musk's X platform.
"Eighty-seven percent!" she exclaimed. "On top of what they’ve already done. An 87% cut in the workforce at Social Security’s regional offices — at a time when Social Security customer service is already absolutely collapsing. Right?"
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Maddow highlighted reports sounding the alarm at the cuts, with people waiting hours in line, having their calls cut off and experiencing website woes.
"I mean, all over the country we’re seeing example after example after example of people going to Social Security to try to solve a routine problem. And there are more and more and more routine problems as the agency collapses," she railed. "But when people try to sort these things out, they’re being met with just a Kafkaesque nightmare."
The term, which originates from the works of Franz Kafka, refers to a situation that is bizarre, oppressive, and nightmarishly complex, often characterized by absurd bureaucracy, illogical systems, and a sense of helplessness.
Maddow shared the story of one 60-year-old woman who sat on hold for more than two hours and was told by an employee that without an appointment, she'd need to wait three hours to find out why she had not received a letter that she needs to open a new bank account.
“Oh no, that’s so long,” she said. She left and said she'd try again another day.