Musk’s Misinformation and Trump’s Cuts Threaten Social Security Stability

The Trump administration’s appointment of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has unleashed a wave of misinformation at the Social Security Administration (SSA). In March 2025, Musk falsely claimed that 40% of calls to SSA’s customer service were fraudulent, a claim disregarded by agency employees who sought to correct the record.

In a shocking display of power, a White House aide insisted on perpetuating Musk’s flawed narrative, directing SSA employees to prioritize the administration’s agenda over facts. This led to the significant thinning of the SSA workforce, with thousands departing amidst rampant staff cuts, igniting public concern about the integrity and reliability of the agency responsible for the retirement benefits that millions of Americans depend on.

DOGE’s aggressive pursuit of personal data on Social Security recipients, driven by Musk’s misinterpretation of federal data, prompted a significant shake-up within the agency. Senior SSA executives voiced serious concerns over the handling of sensitive information, yet were pressured to comply with DOGE’s demands. Musk and his team’s reckless approach has not only endangered employee stability but has also raised alarms about the security of citizens’ data.

The fallout from DOGE’s mismanagement has left millions facing delays in their benefits due to artificial backlogs. The ongoing staffing crisis, fueled by a push for reassignments that threatened job security, exacerbated the situation, illustrating the administration’s hostility towards public workers and their vital roles within the government.

Amid this turmoil, the narrative pushed by Musk, which suggested massive fraud within Social Security, has only served to distract from real challenges the agency faces. The reckless policies introduced under Trump and Musk symbolically strip away the essential governance designed to protect and support the aging population, echoing a broader agenda aligned with the interests of wealthy elites rather than working-class Americans.

(h/t: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/us/politics/doge-social-security.html)