According to the Associated Press, a highly reliable and unbiased news source with a global reach, Trump and Musk are making false claims. The AP, a not-for-profit news agency that has been around for over 176 years, has debunked their statements.
Trump has been making false claims that millions of deceased individuals over the age of 100 are receiving Social Security payments. Recently, President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk have stated on social media and in press briefings that people aged 100, 200, and even 300 years old are improperly receiving benefits. Musk described this as a “HUGE problem” as his Department of Government Efficiency investigates federal agencies for waste, fraud, and abuse.
While it is true that some improper payments have been made, including to deceased individuals, the figures cited by Musk and the White House are exaggerated and do not accurately represent Social Security data.
Here are the facts:
During a press briefing in Florida, Trump claimed that “millions and millions of people over 100 years old” are receiving Social Security benefits. He described these payments as “obviously fraudulent or incompetent.”
Elon Musk posted several comments on his social media platform X, suggesting that “vampires” might be collecting Social Security and highlighting the issue of deceased individuals being marked as “ALIVE” in Social Security records. He emphasized the absurdity of the situation by pointing out that some of these individuals would have been alive before America existed.
Social Security’s new acting commissioner, Lee Dudek, addressed the reports about people over 100 years old potentially receiving benefits. He clarified that the reported data includes individuals with Social Security numbers who do not have a recorded date of death, but this does not necessarily mean they are receiving benefits. Dudek expressed confidence that with the help of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the commitment of the executive team and workforce, Social Security will continue to serve the American people effectively.
From 2015 to 2022, Social Security paid out nearly $8.6 trillion in benefits, with $71.8 billion (less than 1%) being improper payments, mostly to living people.
In January, the U.S. Treasury recovered over $31 million in various federal payments sent to deceased individuals. This was part of a pilot program using the Social Security Administration’s “Full Death Master File.”
The Treasury aims to recover over $215 million from December 2023 to 2026 using this data.
No, tens of millions of people over 100 years old are not receiving benefits.
The confusion stems from Social Security’s outdated COBOL-based software, which defaults some incomplete birthdates to over 150 years ago. Reports from the Social Security Administration’s inspector general indicate that the agency hasn’t updated its system to accurately mark death information, leading to records of approximately 18.9 million people born in 1920 or earlier who are not marked as deceased. However, this doesn’t mean these individuals are receiving benefits.
The agency chose not to update the database due to the high cost of over $9 million. According to a July 2023 Social Security OIG report, almost none of the individuals discussed in the report are currently receiving payments. Since September 2015, the agency automatically halts payments to individuals over 115 years old.
Concerns about misinformation on Social Security payments include the risk of misleading people into thinking there are easy fixes to financial problems. Chuck Blahous points out that Social Security has lower error rates compared to other federal programs like Medicaid. Sita Nataraj Slavov warns that claims by Musk and Trump may oversimplify the solutions to Social Security’s financial issues, which require sacrifices through higher taxes or lower benefits.