Release: Social Security Slashes Cooperative Agreements Effort Supports President’s Executive Order

Friday, February 21, 2025 
For Immediate Release

The Social Security Administration today announced the termination of their Retirement
and Disability Research Consortium (RDRC) cooperative agreements. This action
supports the President’s Executive Order, Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI
Programs and Preferencing.
“Terminating our RDRC cooperative agreements aligns with President Trump’s priorities
to end fraudulent and wasteful initiatives and contracts,” said Social Security’s Acting
Commissioner Lee Dudek. “We will continue to root out waste and abuse to earn back
America’s trust and confidence in our agency.”
Social Security previously entered into RDRC cooperative agreements with research
centers that included a focus on research addressing DEI in Social Security, retirement,
and disability policy. Terminating these cooperative agreements results in about $15
million dollars in cost savings for hardworking Americans in fiscal year 2025.
For more information on the President’s Executive Order, see Ending Radical And
Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing – The White House.

To learn more about Acting Commissioner Dudek’s commitment to agency transparency
and protecting benefits and information, see his statement at Press Release | Press Office |
SSA.

To directly view the release: 

English: PressRls.RDRCAgreements

Spanish: SP-PressRls.RDRCAgreements-2025-02-21