Kalispell’s Social Security Administration office is shrinking, but will remain open, according to the office of Congressman Ryan Zinke.  

“[Social Security] is renegotiating leases to rid their books of unused square footage in shared- or annex buildings or finding a more appropriately sized space for their needs,” said Garrett Brown, press secretary for Zinke’s office.  

The federal agency responsible for dolling out health benefits, including enrolling people in Medicare, announced March 3 it was working with the General Services Administration to terminate 64 soft-term leases across the country, saving $4 million in annual rent, as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to cut federal spending.  

Zinke’s office has spoken with Social Security Administration officials and “was assured that all services will continue for our constituents and that at-most just the address will change,” Brown told the Inter Lake on Tuesday.  

Whether the office is relocating or only downsizing remains unclear.  

A document shared by the Social Security Administration indicates that Kalispell is losing its “Hearings Permanent Remote Site,” which is described as a room within another Social Security office where hearings are held. “As most of our hearings are held virtually, we no longer need as many in-person hearings sites,” reads the document. 

No employees work in the space identified in Kalispell, according to the document. Missoula is also losing its room to conduct hearings. Brown said that both offices reported to the General Services Administration that there was square footage going unused.  

The offices are two of 10 federal buildings in Montana receiving lease terminations, according to the Department of Government Efficiency, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk with a mission to slash the government workforce and cut federal spending.  

The “Wall of Receipts” on DOGE’s online page lists thousands of contracts, grants and office leases terminated across the country. Ranging from offices within the U.S. Department of Transportation to the Fish and Wildlife Service, the lease terminations in Montana add up to about $1.8 million. 

According to DOGE’s website, the Kalispell office’s annual lease costs $151,400. The termination plan would result in $63,083 in savings. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.