Donald Trump's purge of the federal workforce could cause a system failure at the Social Security Administration, the agency's former leader warned.

Ex-commissioner and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said in a recent interview with CNBC that staff cuts and other changes made by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will likely lead to an interruption of benefits for the over 72.5 million Americans who get monthly checks.

The SSA announced last week that it will cut 7,000 employees from its workforce to align with Trump's executive orders, even as the agency's current staffing is at a 50-year low. While Social Security checks consistently arrive on time, staffing shortages have extended wait times for people applying to receive those benefits in the first place.

Former head of the Social Security Administration, Martin O'Malley, warns that planned staffing cuts could put Social Security payments at risk, potentially for the first time in history. Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Jordan Weissmann joins Wealth to discuss how a 12% workforce reduction may lead to a loss of essential tech support,

"Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits. I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days."

In an early March interview with the conservative website The Bulwark, Martin O'Malley — former commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) under ex-President Joe Biden — had a dire warning about the effect that the Trump Administration's mass layoffs of federal government workers could have on that agency.

Martin O'Malley, former SSA commissioner, raises alarms over recent government efficiency cuts, predicting a potential collapse of the Social Security system that could affect millions of Americans.