If you had asked me only a month ago about the future of Social Security, I would have said, don’t worry it’s not going anywhere, no politician would risk radically changing it.
I still feel that way, but my conviction is a bit shaky.
When the President uses “scam” in any context of Social Security, when the SSA staffing is cut, when there is an conscious effort to undermine confidence in the system while avoiding any effort to make the program sustainable, it’s time to be concerned.
In fact, tax proposals directly attack the financial integrity of both Social Security and Medicare.
Social Security is not a playground for billionaire Elon Musk and his unqualified minions (who do not understand how Social Security works) to run amok. But now that they’ve breached the Social Security Administration’s security, they’re misreading SSA data and falsely claiming rampant “fraud” at the agency.
Buying into Musk’s lies, President Trump is now calling Social Security’s database “a scam.” Does that mean the president will go back on his promise not to cut Social Security? Seniors, people with disabilities and Americans everywhere of good conscience should be on high alert.
According to President Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, billionaire “Elon was going to cut $1 trillion of waste, fraud and abuse. Think about it. We have almost $4 trillion of entitlements, and no one’s ever looked at it before.”
He went onto say, “You know Social Security is wrong. You know Medicaid and Medicare are wrong. So he’s going to cut a trillion …”
It’s clear Musk does not understand Social Security. After his intrusion into SSA, Musk ranted on X, “There are far more ‘eligible’ social security numbers than there are citizens in the USA.” He also alleged that more than one million 150-year-olds are claiming Social Security benefits.
In response to these outrageous claims, former Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley stated, “There is not like a zombie apocalypse of people, you know, cadavers running around with Social Security checks coming out of their pockets.”
Bottom line, by pushing lies about Social Security, Musk and others ideologically opposed to this program are trying to undermine public support for Social Security, which would make the program vulnerable to deep cuts and radical “reforms.” It’s a cynical ploy to convince the American public and President Trump that it’s not worth defending.
Source: National Committee to Preserve Social Security& Medicare®
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
Al Lindquist
Very interesting comments and thanks to Jack–Chuck–James for making us think–makes me more interested in a plan for the grandchildren that gets the politicians out of the program–TSP is very inexpensive and we should be able to devise programs to fund retirement and allow for beneficiaries—the cost of added benefits other than retirement we need to question but that also could be handled as they do in a number of other countries.
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In 2024, Social Security charged ~50 basis points to administer the program, $7.5 Billion dollars.
Given that almost every dollar received is paid in electronically, and that almost every dollar paid is paid electronically via direct deposit, that is an abusive administrative expense – probably 5 – 10 times the cost a plan administrator/recordkeeper would charge to administer a private sector defind benefit pension plan with a career average formula – where there is no processing of individual investment elections and no pre-retirement distributions and no elections regarding the form of payout.
I doubt there is a lot of “waste, fraud and abuse” when it comes to the 65+MM individuals receiving traditional social security benefits based on the 35 year AIME formula – however, I suspect there is a much higher percentage among the 7+MM individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income. Given the significant difference in the two programs, I would likely suggest they be administered separately.
Nonetheless, it is long past time for Social Security to become more efficient in administration.
All of that, however, pales in comparison to the funding challenge – where the trust fund is expected to be exhausted by 2034. Until the system is made sustainable indefinitely, all this DOGE crap is so much colored bubbles to the 73+MM Americans receiving Social Security benefits today – and the last of Baby Boomers who will reach their Social Security Full Retirement Age in just 6 years, by 2031.
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Hardly an equal comparison.
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You are right.
For comparison, the IRS famously tells us that administrative costs to collect revenue are only 1% – 2% of revenues. That’s a lot, but not at all surprising given the complexity of the tax code.
The Social Security system data and administrative requirements are comparatively simplistic and almost 100% automated. But, Social Security is much simpler when compared to what many individual account retirement systems (DB or DC) require. So, the admin costs (as a percentage of benefits paid, taxes collected, etc.) should be dramatically less to administer a system where all the money coming in and almost all of the money going out is based on simplistic mathematical formulas and automated payroll and banking systems.
You probably got the same note from SSA as I did earlier today about DOGE efforts there. I think they are aimed at the wrong target, focused on the wrong things.
No one expects the social security system to sunset any time soon. So, it is long past time to update the processing and systems and other functionality to a more cost efficient structure.
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You are biased and a koolaid drinker. Get a grip Quinn.
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Mr. Quinn, if you and your readers are interested in reading what is happening within the Social Security administration since DOGE took over, there is a blog written by an attorney who represents individuals applying for benefits. Many SSA insiders read and comment on the blog.
It’s only been two weeks since DOGE infiltrated and took over the Agency. From what I’m reading, they are destroying the agency from within. As one person on the blog commented, over a 1000 years of institutional knowledge has left the agency in the last two weeks after being fired or asked to resign by DOGE. It’s truly scary.
The name of the blog is the “Charles Hall blogspot”.
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Not defending the DOGE kids, who I understand operate with laptops and instead of asking a worker for some answers, but they possibly could be finding the erroneous social security numbers that were used by some workers. As for payments, they might be connected to some deceased person or whoever. I personally would enjoy reading a report they make of findings and an explanation by social security officials. As far as 1000 years of institutional knowledge, that equates to about 33 people with 30 years of employment. That doesn’t seem like any loss out of the ordinary retirement cycle or quit cycle in any big organization.
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I wonder if folks waiting to collect Social Security should start taking it early?Sandra Donofrio
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