In the latest chapter of political theatre, President Donald Trump and billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk have taken to social media and press briefings to stir up a maelstrom over alleged Social Security improprieties—claims that experts say are largely hyperbolic and misleading.
According to their assertions, an army of centenarians, some 200 or even 300 years old, are allegedly siphoning funds from the Social Security pot, a situation Musk described as a “HUGE problem.”
While the colorful narrative of a vampiric cohort of supercentenarians draining the coffers might capture the public’s imagination, the truth is somewhat less fantastical.
Yes, improper Social Security payments have been made, including to deceased individuals, but the reality is much less dramatic than Musk and Trump would have the public believe.
The numbers thrown around by the duo are not only exaggerated, but they also misrepresent the actual data.
To set the record straight, let’s delve into some facts.
From fiscal years 2015 through 2022, the Social Security Administration (SSA) paid out $8.6 trillion in benefits, with $71.8 billion—less than 1%—constituting improper payments.
Most of these were overpayments to living people, not to the deceased or mythical creatures from a gothic novel.
The confusion, in part, stems from the SSA’s archaic software system, COBOL, which has an interesting quirk.
When birthdates are missing or incomplete, the system defaults to an ancient reference point, sometimes making individuals appear centuries old.
This might explain why some entries might suggest people are older than the United States itself.
Moreover, the SSA has already implemented measures to mitigate these errors, including automatically halting payments to those over 115 years of age.
A recent report also highlights that “almost none” of the numberholders in question are currently receiving payments—a fact conveniently omitted from Musk’s and Trump’s alarming rhetoric.
Elon Musk, known for his flair for the dramatic, suggested on his social media platform X that the solution to these improper payments is as simple as flipping a switch.
Yet, experts like Chuck Blahous from the Mercatus Center argue that Social Security is far from the top of the list when it comes to government programs with high error rates.
Medicaid, for example, has a more substantial issue with improper payments, especially following the expansion under the Affordable Care Act.
For those hoping that cutting off payments to nonexistent centenarians could solve Social Security’s looming financial challenges, policy experts like Sita Nataraj Slavov from George Mason University have a sobering message.
The reality is that fixing Social Security’s fiscal health will require more than just rooting out a few errors; it will demand tough choices, such as increasing taxes or reducing benefits.
The notion of a quick fix, as tantalizing as it might seem, is simply unrealistic.
In the end, while Musk and Trump may have succeeded in grabbing headlines, their claims obscure the more pressing and complex challenges facing Social Security.
As the administration works to uncover and rectify waste and fraud, it’s crucial for the public to remain informed and discerning, rather than swayed by hype and hyperbole.
After all, in the realm of public policy, nuance and accuracy are often the first casualties of sensationalism.
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