Very Corrupt

      Donald Trump quoted by Aaron Rupar:

We have a very corrupt country. Very corrupt country. And it's a sad thing to say ... if you take all of those millions of people off social security, all of the sudden we have a very powerful social security.

Another Great Victory For DOGE: Acting COSS Resigns

      From the Washington Post:

The acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration left her job this weekend after a clash with billionaire Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service over its attempts to access sensitive government records, three people familiar with her departure said Monday.
Michelle King, who spent several decades at the agency before being named its acting commissioner last month, left her position Sunday after the disagreement, the people said.
President Donald Trump appointed Leland Dudek, a manager in charge of Social Security’s anti-fraud office, as acting commissioner … 

In selecting Dudek, Trump bypassed dozens of other senior executives who sat higher on the agency’s leadership hierarchy, touching off alarm in and around the agency, which has already faced years of budget and staffing difficulties. …

     According to the New York Times “Before he was named, Mr. Dudek posted comments on LinkedIn praising Mr. Musk’s team and saying he had been assisting its efforts, according to people who saw his posts. Mr. Dudek has deleted his account.“ comments on LinkedIn praising Mr. Musk’s team and saying he hYou thought I was joking when I said that some high Social Security officials would face horrible decisions during the Trump Administration. 

Note The Amount Of Overtime

 

From Social Security. Click on image to view full size

No RSI For Don

      Just a reminder: Donald Trump has never bothered to file a claim for his own Social Security retirement benefits. Of course it’s possible that he never had earnings from employment or self employment during ten years. That would make him ineligible. Either way, he’s not exactly your average senior citizen.

OHO Office Closing

 

    The Social Security hearing office in White Plains, NY is closing. That's unusual. I can't remember when I've heard of an Office of Hearings Operations office closing.

They Call This The Waterfall Chart

 

From Social Security. Click on image to view full size

    Things are definitely not going well for Social Security in federal court.

Yeah, Right

 

     Did Musk receive some distorted information about dependent benefits? Yes, multiple people can receive benefits on one Social Security number. It’s all quite legal.

Musk’s Campaign Against Social Security

      Elon Musk, who has been granted sweeping powers by President Trump, has been making extravagant claims about the existence of massive fraud at the Social Security Administration. Supposedly millions of people are being paid benefits improperly. Trillions of dollars are being stolen. I could go through the various allegations he is making and show why they’re false but it’s pointless. The readers of this blog  already know there is no substance to any of this. None. Besides, by tomorrow there will be new tall tales.

     I can’t figure out what Musk’s game is. Does he really believe this nonsense? Is he spreading lies because he wants to destabilize Social Security? Is he trying to prepare the political landscape for some massive change in Social Security? What happens when Musk’s DOGE minions are unable to find any fraud beyond one man who buried his mother in his backyard so he could continue to receive her Social Security benefits?

     Whatever Musk’s game may be, he’s causing lasting damage. Credulous people will continue to believe his fairy tales for decades to come. It’s depressing.