Lawmakers warn DOGE to ‘keep your hands off our Social Security’ amid Elon Musk-led budget cuts — should millions of retired Americans be concerned?

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a task force helmed by billionaire Elon Musk that aims to reduce wasteful spending and eliminate unnecessary regulations. The budget proposed by House Republicans calls for cutting $2 trillion from federal spending. While Musk has since said that $1 trillion is more realistic, that’s still a lot of money.

Social Security is the federal government’s largest spending category (followed by Medicare and National Defense). It accounts for 21% or $1.5 trillion of the government’s annual budget and supports over 70 million Americans, including retirees, disabled people and children. It’s mainly funded through a payroll tax paid by employers and workers. Nearly 60% of retirees say Social Security is a major source of income for them, according to Gallup.

Musk recently took to X to claim he had found serious fraud at the Social Security Administration (SSA) with millions of people over the age of 120 still receiving checks. “Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security,” he wrote. President Trump repeated this claim and added, “If you take all of those millions of people off Social Security, all of a sudden we have a very powerful Social Security with people that are 80 and 70 and 90, but not 200 years old."

However, experts have pointed out that the Tesla CEO may have been confused because Social Security’s software system is based on the COBOL a programming language which has a lack of date type. The SSA says it automatically stops benefits when anyone reaches 115. A report from the SSA last year said it made nearly $72 billion in improper payments from FYs 2015 through 2022, most of which were overpayments and are less than 1% of the total benefits paid during that period.

What’s coming next?

So far, the DOGE has shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and ordered workers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to stop work until further notice. It has initiated layoffs at multiple other federal agencies and departments. There is concern Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security won’t be far behind.

Also noteworthy is that Russell Vought, who has returned to the White House Office of Management and Budget for a second term under President Donald Trump, is considered a key architect of Project 2025 and has repeatedly pushed cuts to Social Security.

On Jan. 31, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent granted Musk and his DOGE team access to the Treasury Department’s payment infrastructure, which processes and distributes trillions of dollars every year for Social Security, Medicare, federal salaries and government contracts.

This has since resulted in a slew of lawsuits; court judgements have blocked DOGE’s efforts to access Treasury Department records — for now.

Jonathan Blum, a Treasury official, stated in a letter that the DOGE team was only given “read only” access to the system. However, read-only access can still offer up data about how the Treasury processes payments, which could include Social Security benefits. That has some lawmakers and consumer advocates raising alarms.

“Controlling the system could allow the Trump Administration to ‘unilaterally’ — and illegally — cut off payments for millions of Americans, putting at risk the financial security of families and businesses based on political favoritism or the whims of Mr. Musk and those on his team who have worked their way inside,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said in a letter to Bessent.

Should Americans be concerned?

Years ago, Trump called for privatizing Social Security, which he referred to as a “Ponzi scheme” in his 2000 book, "The America We Deserve." More recently, while on the campaign trail, Trump said he wouldn’t touch Social Security. He also proposed eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits.

There’s no indication at this point that Social Security checks will be late (or cancelled). But there is concern that staff cuts or buyouts could strain an already-strained system. The SSA is already struggling with staff shortages that result in long wait times and lower service levels. More cuts could also put local offices at risk of closure.

Some advocates worry about the potential for corruption or mistakes if beneficiaries’ data isn’t protected.