ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Long lines at the Social Security Office in Downtown Albuquerque might get worse as job cuts loom. The Department of Government Efficiency is expected to cut about 7,000 Social Security Administration jobs nationwide in an effort to downsize the agency.

“It’s a little bit difficult when we have to come in here and there’s a million, billion, trillion people in here, and they all give us these numbers, and we all have to wait,” Christal Martinez said.

Martinez said she spent her entire day off at the Social Security office on Lead Ave.

“Hopefully it’ll get situated. They did set me up an appointment,” Martinez said.

Martinez got her questions answered but needs to come back. But by then the Social Security Administration could get hit with even more job cuts, meaning possibly longer wait times.

“It’s already a headache as it is coming in here, so now it’s gonna probably be even crazier. And it was, I’ve been here, like for like, almost all day. Literally, I’ve been here all day, like, this was my only, like, last day off from work, and I spent it here at the Social Security,” Martinez said.

Even for New Mexicans who didn’t have to wait long, they’re worried jobs cuts could lead to benefit cuts or losing social security all together. Mercy Parson says she just needed some copies so she only had to wait about 15 minutes.

“It’s my only income. Well, I work too but it’s only part time. You know? I need the social security,” Parson continued. “I’ve been working for a long time, so I deserve it. So hopefully they don’t cut nothing.”

Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury says she’s going to fight to make sure New Mexicans don’t lose their benefits.

“I personally have co-sponsored every piece of legislation I can to protect Social Security and even expand it when we have the opportunity to. We’ve sent oversight letters and other oversight activities to the administration to investigate what they’re doing,” Stansbury said.

Stansbury says she came to the Albuquerque Social Security office Monday to investigate but says she was denied access to the administrative side of the building.

“I had an appointment with somebody here in this building, but I was not allowed to meet with that person. So, what is going on here? We’re gonna get to the bottom of that,” Stansbury said.

The Representative also said the office on Lead Ave is able to house 600 employees, but discovered Monday the actual number of employees is closer to 250 to 300. She also said recent changes to policies are impacting wait times.

“This has never happened before, and we know this is a direct result of the tampering that Elon Musk and DOGE are doing to the Social Security system, which not only threatens the ability of our seniors and people with disabilities to get their payment, they now have put in place policies that require you come in in person to validate your changes,” Stansbury said.

Stansbury says she was allowed inside the main lobby area and spoke to some residents. But she plans on taking the fact that she wasn’t allowed in back to Washington.

The Social Security Administration is telling a different story, though. A representative said Stansbury was offered a meeting and tour after the Congresswoman’s team asked if she could talk to employees and residents. But that social security rep says a meeting was never scheduled.

Social Security Administration Representative Statement:

“Congresswoman Stansbury’s team contacted the field office manager asking to talk with our customers in the lobby and our staff in the office. SSA believed this would be disruptive and offered her a meeting with the manager and an office tour. The Congresswoman’s team told us this would not be necessary and said the Congresswoman only wanted to visit with the public outside the office. She did not want a tour or a meeting with the manager. We are not aware of any follow up from the Congresswoman’s team changing her request. No meeting was ever scheduled.”

Rep. Melanie Stansbury released the following statement Tuesday in response to the Social Security Administration’s statement:

“Congresswoman Stansbury is shocked and dismayed to see that the Social Security Administration has released a statement that is patently false after she and her team were denied entry past the waiting room at our local Social Security office. 

Last week, the Congresswoman reached out to the Albuquerque Social Security Office, which she and her team work closely with, to request a meeting with management and staff and the opportunity to talk to beneficiaries in the lobby. That meeting request was accepted last Friday, only to be canceled at the last minute yesterday. 

When she and her team arrived at the SSA office, they requested to meet with management and staff and were left sitting outside for almost 40 minutes, during which time they were told by security that management would not come down or meet them, and during which time security was audibly instructed to not allow “unauthorized” persons in the building. 

At no point did the SSA management on duty offer a tour of the building. Instead, a security guard was instructed to hand the Congresswoman a piece of paper with a generic phone number on it for a regional office in Texas. When the Congresswoman called the number, nobody answered. 

For years, our office has had a wonderful working relationship with this office and we deeply appreciate the Social Security staff who help our communities every day. We had looked forward to speaking with management and staff and were disturbed to have the meeting canceled abruptly and to be redirected to a regional office out of state. This is not normal. Clearly, someone at Social Security did not want us in the building. 

Furthermore, Members of Congress do not need special permission to enter federal buildings. It is the Congresswoman’s duty not just as Ranking Member of the DOGE Oversight Committee but as the Congresswoman for NM-01 to perform oversight on federal agencies. Yesterday, she was denied entry to do this critical job for New Mexico.

In a time when President Trump and Elon Musk are actively dismantling federal agencies, firing federal workers, and undermining services— it is vital that we investigate how it is impacting our communities. It is the Congresswoman’s job to fight for the people of NM-01, and she will continue to do so.”