<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMusk’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.”\n<\/p>\n
\n\tNancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, responded to what she termed Musk’s “ridiculous assertion” by stating on Friday that “Social Security\u2019s actual fraud rate is a mere 0.00625%, significantly lower than that of private retirement programs.”\n<\/p>\n
\n\t“It\u2019s 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.”\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe 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.”\n<\/p>\n
“The truth is that Social Security has a fraud rate of 0.00625%, far lower than private sector retirement programs.”<\/p>\n
\n\tAltman 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.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tSen. 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.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tSuppose 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.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\t“This is just another way Musk and Trump could reduce Social Security,” Warren explained. “This is what I’m striving to prevent.”\n<\/p>\n
\n\tDemocrats 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.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t“True improvements to Social Security don\u2019t 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.”\n<\/p>\n