Elon Musk has said that Social Security benefits could increase as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues its investigations into the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Why It Matters
Social Security benefits are paid monthly, forming the bedrock of income for some 70 million recipients. DOGE, spearheaded by Musk, has promised to pursue trillions of dollars in cuts across many programs and departments of the federal government, with a specific focus on uncovering fraud and wasteful spending, including in Social Security.
What To Know
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Musk said: "We are increasingly optimistic that, as the immense waste & fraud are eliminated from Social Security & Medical that there is potential to increase actual dollars received by citizens & better healthcare!"
We are increasingly optimistic that, as the immense waste & fraud are eliminated from Social Security & Medical that there is potential to increase actual dollars received by citizens & better healthcare!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 24, 2025As it stands, Social Security benefits can be increased only by the annual Cost of Living Adjustment. COLA is designed to keep payments in line with inflation so that purchasing power is not eroded over time.
Newsweek has contacted DOGE and the SSA for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
Musk's comments refer to DOGE's continued work in the SSA—one of several government departments that is being investigated by the unofficial government agency in an effort to reduce federal government spending.
But the approach to the task, and DOGE's alleged access to government payment systems and personal information, have been met with backlash from some lawmakers and government officials, including the recent resignation of the acting Social Security Commissioner Michelle King.
New acting Commissioner Lee Dudek said in a statement on February 19 that DOGE staffers will not be able to make changes to agency systems, benefit payments or other information.
Musk also recently posted a chart on X that alleged that 400 million people, with millions well over the age of 100, were receiving Social Security benefits. The SSA website shows that, in 2024, there were only 68.5 million recipients.
Dudek said in his February 19 statement: "The reported data are people in our records with a Social Security number who do not have a date of death associated with their record. These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits."
Musk has also previously said that he is "100 percent certain that the magnitude of the fraud in federal entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, Disability, etc.) exceeds the combined sum of every private scam you've ever heard by FAR."
Musk's recent moves on the SSA have been met with considerable criticism, particularly from Democratic lawmakers and Social Security advocacy groups. Several members of Congress, along with SSA beneficiaries and others, recently staged a rally outside the SSA offices in Washington, D.C. Former Commissioner Martin O'Malley, who presided over the agency during the Biden administration, has also been critical of DOGE.
What People Are Saying
Acting commissioner Lee Dudek said in a statement on February 19: "DOGE personnel CANNOT make changes to agency systems, benefit payments or other information. They only have READ access. DOGE personnel do not have access to data related to a court ordered temporary restraining order, current or future."
Former Commissioner Martin O'Malley said, according to a report by the Washington Post newspaper: "At this rate, they [DOGE] will break it. And they will break it fast, and there will be an interruption of benefits."
Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group for the preservation of Social Security benefits, said: "The information collected and securely held by the Social Security Administration is highly sensitive. SSA has data on everyone who has a Social Security number, which is virtually all Americans, everyone who has Medicare, and every low-income American who has applied for Social Security's means-tested companion program, Supplemental Security Income."
What Happens Next
DOGE is continuing its work at the SSA, with outcomes regarding services and staffing levels unclear at this time.
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