Schumer assails Musk for claiming Social Security rife with fraud
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) on Tuesday slammed tech billionaire Elon Musk for claiming that Social Security is plagued by widespread fraud and that as many as 20 million “dead” people are receiving Social Security benefits.
“Elon Musk confirmed what many of us had been warning about for a long time: Republicans are getting ready to gut Social Security and Medicare,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
“The richest man on earth repeated again a bevy of lies that entitlement programs, [which] tens of millions of people rely on, are riddled with fraud and abuse. That’s a pretext to slashing them. But it’s false,” Schumer said.
Schumer noted that Musk said “most of the federal spending is entitlements,” which the head of the Department of Government Efficiency called “the big one to eliminate.”
The Democratic leader said that’s a clear signal that Musk wants to cut Social Security.
“It’s rare to hear Republicans tell the truth about their plans so directly. What Elon Musk is saying is that, sooner or later, Republicans are going to target people’s Social Security and Medicare benefits,” he said. “The outrage that the richest man in the world would tell millions of seniors who depend on those checks each month that it’s a fraud, that it’s waste.”
Musk in an interview with Fox Business suggested that he wants to cut between $500 billion and $700 billion in government waste.
He claimed there are “20 million people who are definitely dead marked as alive in the Social Security database, something the Social Security Administration has disputed.
Social Security’s inspector general issued a report in 2024 reporting that improper payments accounted for $71.8 billion in spending from 2015 to 2022, less than 1 percent of the $8.6 trillion the agency handed out in benefits during that time.
Musk last week called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time” in an interview with podcast host Joe Rogan.
“If you look at the future obligations of Social Security it far exceeds, uh, the tax revenue,” Musk argued.
Schumer accused Musk of laying the groundwork to cut Social Security benefits.
“Musk is shamelessly lying about Social Security, claiming it’s riddled with fraud in order to justify taking benefits away from seniors and retirees,” he said.
Topics
-
Elon Musk Suggests DOGE Team Will Scrutinize Social Security and Entitlement Spending
In an interview with Larry Kudlow, Elon Musk claimed that fraud in Social Security and other major programs was “the big one to eliminate.”The New York Times - 13h -
Social Security payments scrutinized by DOGE amid search for fraud
DOGE is sifting through Social Security payments in an anti-fraud effort that has some worried the administration could deny payments to vulnerable older Americans.ABC News - 1d -
Why Social Security’s Future Could Be in DOGE’s Hands
Trump promised that Elon Musk’s DOGE wouldn’t touch Social Security. But DOGE is already making cuts to the agency.Inc. - 2d -
White House renews Social Security pledge after Musk comments
The White House is trying to assure Americans that President Trump will not make cuts to Social Security and Medicare after adviser Elon Musk went after entitlement spending. {beacon} Health Care ...The Hill - 6h -
White House says Trump won't cut Social Security, Medicare after Musk remarks
The White House on Tuesday asserted President Trump would not cut Social Security or Medicare after tech billionaire Elon Musk's comments about the need to examine entitlement spending gained ...The Hill - 14h -
X sees major outages as Musk claims 'massive cyberattack' hit platform
Three separate outages appeared to hit Elon Musk's X social media site Monday, as the tech titan claimed it was suffering a "massive cyberattack."NBC News - 1d -
Ex-Social Security official describes ‘significant’ risk of sensitive data going to wrong hands under DOGE
Tiffany Flick, a former Social Security official, detailed what she sees as a “significant” risk of sensitive government data heading into the wrong hands under Elon Musk’s Department of Government ...The Hill - 1d -
Karl Rove: Trump claims of DOGE 'fraud' discoveries will backfire
Republican strategist Karl Rove said President Trump’s claims that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has discovered “hundreds of billions” in government “fraud” will backfire when ...The Hill - 1d -
Elon Musk says "massive cyberattack" is causing outages at X
Elon Musk's social media site X wasn't working for thousands of users on Monday, with the billionaire claiming a cyberattack.CBS News - 1d
More from The Hill
-
Judge declines to block DOGE from taking over African development agency
A federal judge on Tuesday declined to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from taking over the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF). U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ...The Hill - 1h -
Lutnick says Trump tariffs 'worth it' even if they lead to recession
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that President Trump’s tariff policies will be worth it, even if the economy ends up in a recession. In an interview that aired Tuesday, CBS News’s ...The Hill - 2h -
Democrat wins special election for Minnesota state House seat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate David Gottfried is projected to win a special election for a seat in the Minnesota House, according to Decision Desk HQ. Gottfried, a pro bono ...The Hill - 2h -
GOP Rep. Mark Harris says Trump has done 'tremendous job' making case against Education Department
Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said on Tuesday that President Trump successfully made the case against the Department of Education during his 2024 campaign, leading more Republicans to support the ...The Hill - 2h -
Sununu on possible Senate bid: 'I have not ruled it out completely'
Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility. “I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have ...The Hill - 4h
More in Politics
-
Judge declines to block DOGE from taking over African development agency
A federal judge on Tuesday declined to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from taking over the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF). U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ...The Hill - 1h -
Lutnick says Trump tariffs 'worth it' even if they lead to recession
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that President Trump’s tariff policies will be worth it, even if the economy ends up in a recession. In an interview that aired Tuesday, CBS News’s ...The Hill - 2h -
Democrat wins special election for Minnesota state House seat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate David Gottfried is projected to win a special election for a seat in the Minnesota House, according to Decision Desk HQ. Gottfried, a pro bono ...The Hill - 2h -
GOP Rep. Mark Harris says Trump has done 'tremendous job' making case against Education Department
Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said on Tuesday that President Trump successfully made the case against the Department of Education during his 2024 campaign, leading more Republicans to support the ...The Hill - 2h -
Sununu on possible Senate bid: 'I have not ruled it out completely'
Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility. “I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have ...The Hill - 4h