The SSA operates the largest government program in the US, administering social insurance programs, including retirement, disability and survivor benefits.
While expensive and challenged by an ageing population, social security remains overwhelmingly popular with Americans.
Wired reported Doge staff want to migrate all social security data and rewrite code in months, which could cause system collapse and further outages.
Acting commissioner Leland Dudek has acknowledged to staff that Doge are making the decisions at the agency.
Rich Couture, a spokesperson for the American Federation of Government Employees’ Social Security Administration general committee, the union representing roughly 42,000 social security workers, said Doge’s public targets for cuts make no sense.
In 2024, social security direct deposit fraud was at a rate of 0.00625% and less than 1% of social security payments had been found to be incorrect.
“President Trump, Elon Musk and whoever the next commissioner is going to be, I really think their ultimate goal is just to destroy social security.”. »