At a recent rally in Wisconsin, Elon Musk claimed that President Joe Biden allowed millions of noncitizens to receive Social Security numbers during his tenure, sparking widespread public debate.
Musk's Rally and Accusations
Elon Musk held a rally in Wisconsin just a day and a half before a high-stakes state judicial election. The event grabbed national attention after Musk handed out money to two voters who signed a petition against 'activist judges.' This petition followed a ruling from the Wisconsin Supreme Court which refused to hear a case claiming the giveaway was illegal. At the rally, Musk brought his DOGE associate Antonio Gracias to explain data shown on a slide titled 'New Non-Citizen Social Security Numbers Issued.' Gracias stated that in fiscal year 2024 alone, more than 2 million noncitizens received such numbers.
Response to Social Security Reforms
Jason Fichtner, who served as deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration under President George W. Bush, expressed concern. He stated that current changes could disrupt benefit disbursement. Additionally, Kathleen Romig, a former SSA official, noted that 7,000 workers have been removed from the SSA and six regional offices have been closed. This means fewer people to assist, longer lines, and more issues on the official SSA website.
Consequences of System Changes
Jason mentioned that DOGE plans to eliminate COBOL, an old programming language that runs millions of lines of SSA code, intending to rebuild the system in a few months. Jason believes this is reckless, explaining that any changes to the system's code could impact current beneficiaries. Such changes typically take years and roll out gradually, yet this approach skips test runs and smooth implementation. The Social Security Administration responded stating there is no validity to these reports, echoing the White House's response.
Elon Musk's rally in Wisconsin has sparked discussions on the current state of the U.S. social security system. Accusations against the administration have raised serious concerns about the potential impact of such reforms.
