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If his social media feed is any indication, Elon Musk has been thinking about Social Security a lot lately. In fact, Donald Trump’s biggest campaign donor and the head of the quasi-governmental DOGE operation, keeps tweeting bizarre claims about alleged fraud and “inconsistencies“ he thinks he’s identified in the Social Security system.
Those claims have invariably collapsed under scrutiny, necessarily raising questions about whether the billionaire is genuinely confused about the basics or content to mislead the public.
Either way, the bottom line remains the same: Musk and his team — which, according to a curious White House court filing, is not actually his team — have apparently arrived at the Social Security Administration. For those concerned about the integrity of the system and its future, that doesn’t appear to be encouraging news. The Washington Post published this striking report on Saturday, for example:
Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service is seeking access to a heavily guarded Internal Revenue Service system that includes detailed financial information about every taxpayer, business and nonprofit in the country, according to three people familiar with the activities, sparking alarm within the tax agency.
According to the Post’s report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, the DOGE operation is positioned to gain access to the highly sensitive Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), “which enables tax agency employees to access IRS accounts — including personal identification numbers — and bank information. It also lets them enter and adjust transaction data and automatically generate notices, collection documents and other records.”
The IRS, the Post added, is “under pressure from the White House” to make this happen.
It’s against this backdrop that NBC News reported that the interagency dispute became so severe that Michelle King, the top official at the SSA, “left her position this weekend after she refused a request from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access sensitive government records at the agency.”
For advocates of the Social Security system, and those concerned about privacy rights, these developments raise all kinds of red flags. But in terms of the political implications, it’s worth appreciating the fact that White House officials have also made public comments about Musk, DOGE and Social Security benefits.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Musk and his surrogates “suspect that there are tens of millions of deceased people who are receiving fraudulent Social Security payments.”
There is no reason to take such a figure seriously, and no one at the White House has even tried to substantiate the claim with evidence.
As part of the same on-air appearance, the president’s chief spokesperson added, “Rest assured to all of the people watching your show tonight, if you paid into the system honestly, you will continue to receive your Social Security checks.”
But that wasn’t quite as reassuring as Leavitt probably intended.
Whether he understands the basic governing details or not, Musk is already claiming that many Social Security beneficiaries are receiving checks they’re not entitled to. Such comments suggest the Trump administration is likely to go after the alleged irregularities, which may or may not exist.
With this in mind, the White House press secretary effectively told Fox viewers that if Trump and Musk believe you paid into the system honestly, “you will continue to receive your Social Security checks.” What could possibly go wrong?
Even most congressional Republicans tend to see Social Security as a political third rail to be avoided at all costs to prevent an electoral backlash. Keep this in mind as DOGE arrives at the SSA, and Musk makes highly dubious claims about Social Security checks.