Santa Maria, who voted for Trump in the 2024 election, says she'd hoped that his Department of Government Efficiency would bring technical expertise and upgrades to the Social Security Administration. "But what they're doing now is just eliminating the people and leaving the rest with the outdated computer system," she says. And now, with part of her retirement on the chopping block, she's even more disappointed. "I can understand new people " new hires. People who haven't spent a decade with the government. You can make changes at that point. People have the ability to adjust," she says. "But when you have someone who's been there for 34 years and then just to pull the rug out from under you, that's devastating."