Georgia 9th District Congressman Andrew Clyde issued a statement this week saying the Gainesville Social Security Administration office, among others, is not being shut down by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Earlier in the month, the DOGE website appeared to list the Gainesville location on Thompson Bridge Road, and four others in Georgia, as offices that were targeted for federal savings by shutting down. DOGE had said closing the Gainesville office could save roughly $1.7 million.
Clyde referenced a social media statement by DOGE on March 20 that said it does not plan to close any SSA offices in Georgia, including Gainesville.
"Social Security is not closing any field sites in Georgia or elsewhere," the DOGE statement said. "The confusion likely arises from the closure of 5 permanent remote hearing sites (PRSs) - single rooms within field sites used for hearings. Since most hearings are now virtual, these PRSs are unnecessary. Field sites remain open."
That DOGE statement, made on the social media platform X, was in response to a statement by U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) who had posted to the same platform that DOGE had recently closed the offices.
"Let's call this what it is: An intentional attempt to stop folks from claiming benefits they've EARNED. I will fight this," Warnock said.
Clyde, whose district the Gainesville SSA office lies in, took aim at Warnock's comment in his statement Wednesday.
"Senator Warnock has peddled lies and fearmongered Georgia seniors long enough," Clyde said. "Instead of proceeding with caution and confirming a shred of validity to his claims, Senator Warnock recklessly ran with potential lease savings identified by DOGE in order to score cheap political points."
The confusion referenced in DOGE's social media post was felt by local officials as well. District 49 State Senator Drew Echols (R-Alto) said in early March that he was unsure what the "identified savings" DOGE posted about the Gainesville office meant for the future of the office.
"Not 100-percent sure what that means," Echols told AccessWDUN on March 3. "We're in contact with Congressman Clyde's office and we're going to be reaching out to a senator's office and see if we can nail down some details on that...we need an office (in Gainesville.)"
