The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), co-founded by billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has removed over 3.2 million outdated records from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA). Many of these records listed people as alive despite being over 120 years old, with some even marked as 200+.
DOGE announced on X that for the past two weeks, the SSA has been cleaning up its records. Now, around 3.2 million people listed as 120+ years old have been officially marked as deceased. Musk reshared a post about the cleanup, calling it “cleaning up the fraud file.”
DOGE’s Effort to Reduce Government Waste
As of March 8, SSA records showed 1,357,967 people between 150 and 159 years old still marked as alive. By March 17, this number dropped by 186,415, bringing it down to 1,171,552. In total, 3,261,057 individuals were reclassified as deceased.
While these outdated records didn’t necessarily mean Social Security was still paying benefits to the deceased, former President Donald Trump’s administration believes the errors could lead to government inefficiencies.
DOGE is working to uncover financial mismanagement across federal agencies. The program, backed by Trump, has already resulted in billions of dollars in government budget cuts, thousands of federal job eliminations, and the shutdown of agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Musk’s Fraud Claims Face Pushback
Musk has been vocal about government inefficiency, calling Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.” He claimed fraud in entitlement programs could cost taxpayers up to $700 billion annually.
However, a government report from 2015 to 2022 estimated that improper Social Security payments totaled $72 billion—less than 1% of all benefits. Of this, $23 billion remains unrecovered.
Speaking on Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s podcast, Musk suggested most financial issues come from waste rather than direct fraud. “It’s like 80% waste, 20% fraud,” Musk said, pointing to cases where payments continued due to bureaucratic mistakes. Cruz agreed, calling it “both.”
Despite Musk’s claims, critics argue there’s no fraud. A retired attorney on X responded, saying, “No one over 120 was being paid Social Security benefits. Cleaning up records is good, but WHY lie about fraud?”
Judge Blocks DOGE’s Access to Social Security Records
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander issued a temporary restraining order blocking Musk’s DOGE team from further accessing Social Security records. The ruling, made in Maryland, stops DOGE from reviewing or keeping SSA data.
The lawsuit was filed by groups, including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, who argue the access could violate privacy protections for millions of Social Security recipients.
Judge Hollander wrote that retirees have a “reasonable expectation” of privacy when submitting financial and personal details to the SSA. She stated that DOGE’s unrestricted access to sensitive data—without proper training, agreements, or background checks—could be a serious privacy violation.
The order will remain in effect for two weeks while legal proceedings continue.
FAQ’s
Was the Social Security Administration actually paying benefits to people over 120 years old?
No, the outdated records did not mean payments were being made. It was a record-keeping issue, not fraud.
Why did a judge block DOGE from accessing Social Security records?
A federal judge ruled that DOGE’s access to sensitive personal data could violate privacy laws.
What did Elon Musk mean by calling Social Security a “Ponzi scheme”?
Musk believes the system is financially unsustainable and inefficient, but experts argue the issue is more about waste than fraud.