The Trump administration is falsely claiming that tens of tens of millions of lifeless folks over 100 years previous are receiving Social Safety funds.
Over the previous few days, President Donald Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk have mentioned on social media and in press briefings that people who find themselves 100, 200 and even 300 years previous are improperly getting advantages — a “HUGE downside,” Musk wrote, as his Division of Authorities Effectivity digs into federal businesses to root out waste, fraud and abuse.
It’s true that improper funds have been made, together with some to lifeless folks. However the numbers thrown out by Musk and the White Home are overstated and misrepresent Social Safety information.
Listed below are the details:
What has the Trump administration mentioned about funds to centenarians?
On Tuesday, Trump mentioned at a press briefing in Florida that “we now have tens of millions and tens of millions of individuals over 100 years previous” receiving Social Safety advantages. “They’re clearly fraudulent or incompetent,” Trump mentioned.
“For those who take all of these tens of millions of individuals off Social Safety, swiftly we now have a really highly effective Social Safety with folks which are 80 and 70 and 90, however not 200 years previous,” he mentioned. He additionally mentioned that there’s one particular person within the system listed as 360 years previous.
Late Monday, Musk posted a slew of posts on his social media platform X, together with: “Possibly Twilight is actual and there are loads of vampires amassing Social Safety,” and “Having tens of tens of millions of individuals marked in Social Safety as “ALIVE” when they’re positively lifeless is a HUGE downside. Clearly. A few of these folks would have been alive earlier than America existed as a rustic. Take into consideration that for a second …”
On Wednesday, Social Safety’s new performing commissioner, Lee Dudek, acknowledged latest reporting concerning the variety of folks older than age 100 who could also be receiving advantages from Social Safety. “The reported information are folks in our information with a Social Safety quantity who shouldn’t have a date of demise related to their file. These people will not be essentially receiving advantages.”
“I’m assured that with DOGE’s assist and the dedication of our government staff and workforce, that Social Safety will proceed to ship for the American folks,” Dudek mentioned.
How huge of an issue is Social Safety fraud?
A July 2024 report from Social Safety’s inspector normal states that from fiscal years 2015 via 2022, the company paid out nearly $8.6 trillion in advantages, together with $71.8 billion — or lower than 1% — in improper funds. A lot of the misguided funds have been overpayments to residing folks.
As well as, in early January, the U.S. Treasury clawed again greater than $31 million in quite a lot of federal funds— not simply Social Safety funds— that improperly went to lifeless folks, a restoration that former Treasury official David Lebryk mentioned was “simply the tip of the iceberg.”
The cash was reclaimed as a part of a five-month pilot program after Congress gave the Division of Treasury momentary entry to the Social Safety Administration’s “Full Dying Grasp File” for 3 years as a part of the omnibus appropriations invoice in 2021. The SSA maintains probably the most full federal database of people who’ve died, and the file comprises greater than 142 million information, which return to 1899, in keeping with the Treasury.
Treasury estimated in January that it could recuperate greater than $215 million throughout its three-year entry interval, which runs from December 2023 via 2026.
So are tens of tens of millions of individuals over 100 years previous receiving advantages?
No.
A part of the confusion comes from Social Safety’s software program system based mostly on the COBOL programming language, which has an absence of date sort. Which means some entries with lacking or incomplete birthdates will default to a reference level of greater than 150 years in the past. The information group WIRED first reported on using COBOL programming language on the Social Safety Administration.
Moreover, a collection of reviews from the Social Safety Administration’s inspector normal in March 2023 and July 2024 state that the company has not established a brand new system to correctly annotate demise data in its database, which included roughly 18.9 million Social Safety numbers of individuals born in 1920 or earlier however weren’t marked as deceased. This doesn’t imply, nevertheless, that these people have been receiving advantages.
The company determined to not replace the database due to the price to take action, which might run upward of $9 million.
A July 2023 Social Safety OIG report states that “nearly not one of the numberholders mentioned within the report presently obtain SSA funds.” And, as of September 2015, the company mechanically stops funds to people who find themselves older than 115 years previous.
What are a few of the considerations about misinformation on Social Safety funds?
Chuck Blahous, a senior analysis strategist on the Mercatus Middle at George Mason College, mentioned, “Two cheers for Elon Musk if he can root out and put a cease to improper funds.”
However to select the locations within the federal authorities the place error charges are excessive, “Social Safety could be close to the underside of the checklist, not close to the highest,” Blahous mentioned. “Medicaid improper cost charges are fairly substantial, and soared after the Medicaid growth of the ACA.”
“By all means — go after any improper funds which are discovered, however let’s not fake that’s the place the system’s largest monetary issues are,” he mentioned.
Sita Nataraj Slavov, a professor of public coverage on the Schar Faculty of Coverage and Authorities at George Mason College, mentioned the claims by Musk and Trump will make folks suppose the options to the federal government’s monetary issues are less complicated than they seem.
“The actual concern is that this declare might mislead folks into considering there’s a straightforward repair to Social Safety’s monetary issues — that we are able to someway restore solvency with out making sacrifices via increased taxes or decrease advantages,” Slavov mentioned. “That is merely not true.”
What does the White Home say concerning the criticism?
Karoline Leavitt, the White Home spokesperson, referred again to the Social Safety’s inspector normal report.
“A earlier investigation revealed the SSA paid at the very least $71.8 billion in improper funds,” she mentioned. “The Social Safety Administration is now working to search out much more waste, fraud, and abuse within the Administration’s whole-of-government effort to guard American taxpayers.”
