New leadership at the Social Security Administration tied to the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has implemented swift changes.

Many experts say Americans will notice a difference when seeking help from the agency following staff cuts, regional office closures and new service policies.

The Social Security Administration is currently under the temporary leadership of acting commissioner Lee Dudek, who was assumed that role in February after acting commissioner Michelle King stepped down over DOGE privacy concerns. Dudek had previously publicly stated he had been placed on administrative leave for cooperating with DOGE, according to reports.

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As a temporary leader, Dudek does not have the obligation to answer to Congress.

“When you are a confirmed commissioner, you get called up to the Hill to testify on various issues that are operating for the agency,” Jason Fichtner, a former Social Security Administration executive, said during a National Academy of Social Insurance panel last week.

“It’s a check and balance that we currently don’t have,” Fichtner said.

As DOGE’s actions have upended the status quo at the Social Security Administration, former agency leaders, retirement experts and Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about its new policies.

Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress last week praised DOGE for increasing the agency’s efficiency since President Donald Trump took office.

The Social Security Administration did not respond to a request from CNBC for comment by press time.

The Trump administration has said the president “will always protect” Social Security and will not cut benefits.

“Any American receiving Social Security benefits will continue to receive them,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said via email Monday when asked about the NASI statement. “The sole mission of DOGE is to identify waste, fraud, and abuse only.”

Trump has nominated Frank Bisignano, chief executive of payments and financial technology company Fiserv, to serve as commissioner of the agency.

Bisignano’s Senate confirmation hearing is expected to take place in the coming weeks.

Former Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael Astrue, who led the agency from 2007 to 2013, said last week during a panel hosted by the National Academy of Social Insurance that while he doesn’t know Bisignano, “he can’t possibly be worse than what we have now.”

While the confirmation process has moved slowly in the past, it would be better to move swiftly and find a suitable leader for the agency, Astrue said.

“The process needs to move along quickly,” Astrue said.

When Bisignano does sit before the Senate, he will have to answer “a lot of questions in the confirmation process, beginning with, what did you know and when did you know it?” former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley, who led the agency from 2023 to 2024, said during the NASI panel.

Senators may want to know whether Bisignano “approved and blessed” changes after his nomination such as cutting staff, eliminating offices and closing regional headquarters, O’Malley said.

Last week, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon sent a letter to Bisignano emphasizing that he will be responsible for any benefit interruptions that may be prompted by sweeping changes at the agency. In the letter, they also included questions on his views on DOGE access to sensitive data, further staff cuts or other possible future plans for the agency.

Bisignano was not available for comment by press time.

A new law that President Joe Biden signed on Jan. 5 — the Social Security Fairness Act — has made it so more than 3.2 million individuals who are eligible for public pensions will receive increased Social Security checks.

In addition, affected beneficiaries also stand to receive payments dating back to January 2024.

The Social Security Administration said in January it would take 1,000 work hours to send those back payments, much of which had to be done manually on a case-by-case basis, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Smith said during a March 12 committee hearing.

However, that outlook has changed under Trump’s leadership, according to Smith.

“Seniors are already seeing the benefit of doing things differently,” Smith said.

The agency has already sent more than 71% of all back payments to affected beneficiaries, he said.

“The Trump administration’s embrace of automation and technology has made a night and day difference for those affected seniors,” Smith said.

“This is how the agency should work,” he said.

Wholesale egg prices have fallen significantly in recent weeks, a dynamic that may soon offer relief for consumers shell-shocked by record-high prices at the grocery store this year.

However, how quickly — and how much — retail prices will fall is unclear, experts said.

Wholesale prices dropped to $4.83 per dozen on Friday, a 44% decline from their peak of $8.58 per dozen on Feb. 28, according to Expana, which tracks agricultural commodity prices.

The pullback comes amid a reprieve from major bird flu outbreaks so far in March and weaker consumer demand, which have helped the nation’s egg supply to start recovering, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture market analysis on Friday.

Prices have “plunged,” said Karyn Rispoli, an egg market analyst and managing editor at Expana.

Market dynamics are also putting “extreme pressure” on wholesale prices to fall further, Rispoli wrote in an e-mail.

Consumers paid $5.90 for a dozen large grade A eggs, on average, in February, a record high, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Retail prices have blown past their prior record — $4.82 per dozen in January 2023 — and have nearly doubled from a year ago.

Prices had surged amid a deadly outbreak of bird flu in the U.S., which has killed millions of egg-laying chickens and crimped egg supply, according to agricultural economists and market experts. The U.S. Department of Justice also opened an antitrust investigation into the pricing and supply practices of major producers.

However, bird flu outbreaks seem to have tapered off in March, at least for now.

“Slowing [bird flu] outbreaks are leading to improved supply availability and wholesale market prices have responded with sharp declines over the past week,” the USDA wrote.

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Consumers, dissuaded by high prices and purchase restrictions imposed by many grocers, have also been buying fewer eggs, helping to ease supply shortfalls, Rispoli said.

Households also stockpiled eggs because they feared prices would keep climbing — a flashback of sorts to consumer behavior witnessed in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic — meaning there isn’t an immediate need for them to replenish supply, she added.

While there have been some early signs of easing prices, it’s unclear how rapidly — and to what extent — consumers may get more relief, experts said.

For one, there’s generally a lag of at least two to three weeks between a change in wholesale costs and subsequent retail pricing — meaning consumers are still largely “feeling the peak market when they go to buy eggs,” Rispoli said.

Plus, retailers ultimately choose “how closely they want to track wholesale prices,” she said.

Additionally, egg demand is likely to stay elevated as the Easter holiday approaches, Kevin Bergquist, an egg analyst at the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute, wrote in a March market update. (Easter is April 20 this year.)

“Egg prices will likely remain highly variable for the near future, but at a higher-than-usual level,” Bergquist wrote. “In the short term, we will likely see a continuation of high egg prices.”

For college hopefuls, there is a letter that is arguably more significant than an acceptance notification: the financial aid award.

Nearly 75% of all undergraduates receive some type of financial aid, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

For a majority of students and their families, financial aid is the most important factor in their decisions about choosing where to attend and how to pay the tab. The amount of aid offered matters, as does the breakdown between grants, scholarships, work-study opportunities and student loans.

And yet, “the system lacks transparency, especially around the true cost of attendance, making it very difficult for families to comparison shop and make informed financing decisions about their education,” said Rick Castellano, a spokesperson for education lender Sallie Mae.

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“Financial aid offers are a good example,” he said. “There isn’t a standard format and it can be difficult to determine what is grant and scholarship aid versus what needs to be paid back, making it tough for families to compare and fully understand what’s being offered.”

Some federal loan programs allow students and families to borrow virtually unlimited amounts, he said, leading to ballooning debt burdens. The average undergraduate loan balance is currently around $30,000, according to the College Board. But as a general rule, experts advise students against borrowing any more than they absolutely need.

To appeal for more college aid, document any changes in assets, income, benefits or expenses. Or, if the financial aid package from another comparable school was better, that is also worth noting in an appeal.

In fact, 71% of families who appealed their financial aid offers in the 2023-24 academic year received additional funding, according to Sallie Mae.

This year, the U.S. Department of Education, which is responsible for underwriting student loans and disbursing college aid, is in the middle of a massive upheaval, after slashing nearly half of its staff.

The agency said in a press release on March 11 that it would “continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency’s purview,” including Pell Grants and student loans.

Still, the Education Department also runs the FAFSA and handles oversight of colleges, such as audits and program reviews, as well as technical support to college financial aid offices — and staffing cuts could impact what support is available, according to higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.

“There might be delays in responses to student and borrower inquiries and the accuracy of the responses may be affected,” he said.

It’s never too late to tap alternative sources for merit-based aid, according to James Lewis, co-founder of the National Society of High School Scholars, an academic honor society.

“A lot of families assume they won’t be eligible for scholarships,” he said — that’s not the case. Scholarships could help bring a pricier school within budget.

“Get beyond, ‘Well, I can’t afford that,'” Lewis added. “Don’t self-select out.”

If you’re pursuing this strategy, check to make sure your college of choice doesn’t have a so-called displacement policy, which could mean private scholarships will reduce other sources of aid.

Continue to look for more scholarships, even through the spring, Lewis advised. “My advice to students and their families is to research and apply often. Google is their best friend.”

Students can also ask their high school counselor about opportunities or search websites such as Scholarships.com or the College Board.

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