President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, recently set the records straight on the documents concerning issues which were brought to their attention on the genuineness of Social Security Administration’s (SSA) records.
The pair testified that millions of people who had died were receiving SSA benefits, some of whom died more than 150 years ago. But a logical cross-check of SSA records and data brings the claims seized in imagination and off course from facts and reality.
The source of the claims
This was asserted by the president at a February 18, 2025, press conference, when he asserted, “We have millions and millions of people over 100 years old” receiving Social Security checks. He argued that removing these alleged fake recipients, Social Security would become stronger. Elon Musk, tasked with leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), agreed with the allegations when he posted a graph tweet of 20 million individuals spanning 100 years showing up in SSA records. Musk called it “the biggest fraud in history.”
SSA’s response and data explanation
In reply to the charges, SSA Acting Commissioner Lee Dudek clarified Trump’s and Musk’s quoted figures were misinterpretations of SSA data. The figures, Dudek claimed, are people in SSA records without a date of death, not beneficiaries. He clarified, “The reported data are people in our records with a Social Security number and no date of death on the record. These people are not necessarily receiving benefits.”
Other studies identify SSA’s older COBOL programs use default dates that are over 150 years old on a subset of missing or incomplete birthdate information. They are not recipients of payments.
The reality of improper payments
Even though the SSA does make an accounting of improper payments, they are significantly less than Trump and Musk suggested. In 2024, it was reported by the inspector general that less than 1% of the $8.6 trillion disbursed from 2015 to 2022 were improper payments. The most prevalent reason the errors occur is when an individual fails to report the death of a beneficiary and not centenarians being put on a fraud list.
The US Department of the Treasury led the way in addressing this issue. Having become eligible since 2021 to utilize the SSA’s “Full Death Master File,” more than $31 million already have been recaptured from erroneous payments to deceased claimants. Reclaiming continues and as of 2026 total recovery estimates are $215 million.
Expert insight regarding the exaggerated claims
Experts are warning that Trump and Musk disqualifications put the issue into perspective and may mislead Americans regarding the challenges facing the Social Security program. As complex as the issue actually is, there is concern that this may divert attention from reforms needed to place the program on a sustainable path.
As well, SSA Acting Commissioner Michelle King, who had complained about Musk’s intrusion into sensitive systems, also resigned, adding to testimony of resistance within the administration to the backlash over those supposed problems.
