DOGE faces challenges identifying Social Security fraud

Elon Musk has focused on the Social Security Administration (SSA), claiming it suffers from significant waste and fraud. He promised audits to uncover these issues during the early weeks of the Trump administration. President Trump echoed this sentiment, stating that Musk's U.S. DOGE Service was investigating incompetence at the SSA. However, many claims made by Musk and DOGE about fraud at the agency do not hold up. For instance, Musk stated that millions of dead people over 100 years old were collecting Social Security benefits. The acting head of the SSA clarified that many in the agency's database do not receive benefits, despite lacking recorded dates of death. Social Security pays out about $1.6 trillion each year, which is a substantial part of federal spending. But only a tiny fraction of payments—less than 1%—are considered improper, often due to accidental mistakes. Most incorrect payments are recovered. An audit even found that just 3% of improper payments were linked to fraud. Critics have pointed out that the SSA is one of the most thoroughly audited agencies. Regular checks by its own inspectors and outside auditors contribute to this scrutiny. Instead of identifying glaring waste, Congress has focused on issues like the agency’s methods for recovering overpayments. DOGE's claims have also not been substantiated by data from the agency. According to officials, of the few people over 100 receiving benefits, the number of those improperly collecting was much lower than Musk suggested—202 versus the claimed millions. Musk’s insistence on these claims has drawn sharp responses. Some experts argue that while there are certainly areas for improvement, the current system is tightly monitored. The SSA's efforts to manage fraud have been recognized, and the agency is already operating under high scrutiny. However, Musk's focus has led to budget cuts at the SSA and the cancellation of contracts that could have prevented fraud. Experts caution that these cuts might hurt the agency's ability to combat fraud in the long run, all while government impostor scams are on the rise, costing victims significant amounts of money.