Former Social Security Head Criticizes Elon Musk’s Comments
“Elon and his all-male team lie about Social Security like other people chew gum,” a previous leader of the agency remarked.
Elon Musk, who has taken a leading role in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, faced renewed criticism on Friday for maliciously labeling numerous Social Security beneficiaries as “fraudsters.” This move is being denounced as part of a calculated GOP effort to dismantle the essential benefits system that many rely on.
During a broadcast on Fox News Thursday, Musk, accompanied by seven male DOGE staff members, proclaimed the administration’s initiative to radically overhaul the federal government in the guise of enhancing efficiency as “the biggest revolution in government since 1776.”
The DOGE team continued to spread baseless allegations that Social Security is plagued by fraud, claiming that up to 40% of calls made to the Social Security Administration’s phone line are deceitful, and that millions of supposedly deceased individuals over the age of 120 remain on the SSA’s books.
Despite acknowledging the extensive criticism of DOGE’s drastic governmental reforms, Musk retorted, “You know who complains the most loudly and with the greatest pretense of moral outrage? The fraudsters.”
Musk’s remarks mirrored those made by billionaire U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on a podcast last week, in which he suggested that anyone complaining about a missed Social Security payment must be a “fraudster.”
Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, responded to what she termed Musk’s “ridiculous assertion” by stating on Friday that “Social Security’s actual fraud rate is a mere 0.00625%, significantly lower than that of private retirement programs.”
“It’s Musk and DOGE who are paving the way for fraudsters,” she added. “Con artists are already exploiting the confusion resulting from DOGE’s reductions in services.”
The Trump administration has been heavily criticized for instigating turmoil within the SSA and other federal bodies by planning mass layoffs, slashing budgets, and enacting other disruptive measures. The cutbacks to SSA phone services were reportedly made following a direct mandate from the White House, under the guise of combating “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
“The truth is that Social Security has a fraud rate of 0.00625%, far lower than private sector retirement programs.”
Altman referred to this disruption as “DOGE-induced chaos,” which has led to numerous crashes of the SSA website and excruciatingly long wait times, sometimes up to 4-5 hours, for callers to the agency.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) pointed out on Thursday that although it is clearly illegal for President Donald Trump and DOGE to directly cut Social Security benefits without congressional approval, they could still undermine the agency in other ways. She detailed a scenario where a senior citizen is hindered by new DOGE rules from receiving his benefits on time, resulting in significant financial loss.
Suppose a 66-year-old qualifies for Social Security. He calls to apply but learns of a new DOGE rule requiring him to register online or in person. He can’t drive and struggles with the website. Eventually, his niece takes a day off to drive him to a local office, which has been closed by DOGE, forcing them to travel two hours to another office. There, they find only two staff members for a 50-person line. They can’t get service before the office closes, forcing them to return another day. Altogether, it takes three months to resolve, during which he misses out on $5,000 in benefits, which he is legally never able to recover.
“This is just another way Musk and Trump could reduce Social Security,” Warren explained. “This is what I’m striving to prevent.”
Democrats and other critics argue that the Trump administration’s strategy is setting the stage for the privatization of Social Security and its potential handover to private equity, as stated by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) earlier in the week.
“True improvements to Social Security don’t start with closing offices responsible for updates, fraud prevention, and handling civil rights violations,” Wyden emphasized. “Nor does it begin with indiscriminately dismissing thousands of employees or limiting phone-based customer service and plotting to shut down field and regional offices.”
These actions, including the nomination of financial executive Frank Bisignano as SSA commissioner, contradict Trump’s assurance that he is “not touching” Social Security, a program that nearly 70 million Americans, including almost 9 out of 10 seniors, depend on for their earned benefits.
Trump and Musk’s previous statements further reveal their intentions. The president has labeled Social Security a “scam,” while Musk has called it “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
“Anyone who views Social Security as a criminal Ponzi scheme should not be involved with our earned Social Security benefits or have access to the sensitive data provided to the Social Security Administration,” stressed Altman.
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