The Trump administration’s drive to eradicate a small amount of fraud in Social Security is risking the agency’s longstanding mission to serve the public, current and former Social Security Administration officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: The DOGE-led effort threatens a system that provides critical benefits to more than 74 million Americans. It’s also starting to ignite some political blowback for the Trump administration.
The big picture: “Social Security has always talked about its twin missions of stewardship and service,” says someone familiar with the agency’s longstanding effort to combat fraud.
- But now, we’re in a moment where fighting fraud is in the driver’s seat. “That’s probably going to be bad for a lot of people around the edges,” this person said.
Catch up quick: With the agency’s most recent cuts to phone services, experts say field offices could flood with people, who’ll see delays getting service or may not be able to access benefits at all.
- “It’s always a trade-off,” says a former employee at the U.S. Digital Service (now renamed the U.S. DOGE Service), who worked at the Social Security Administration.
- “Preventing every possible case of fraud often places an undue burden on legitimate users trying to access what they need.”
Zoom out: The stakes with Social Security are higher than in the private sector.
- “The trade-off isn’t just efficiency — it’s life or death,” the former Digital Service worker said. “Many rely on these benefits for food, shelter and healthcare. If the system is too strict and prevents legitimate access, people can literally die.”
Reality check: Former SSA officials are clear-eyed that the agency can be a very slow-moving, inefficient bureaucracy, which also doesn’t necessarily have the same strict identity controls as a bank.
- But they contend DOGE’s efforts are counterproductive.
The other side: The Trump administration says it won’t touch Social Security. “Any American receiving Social Security benefits will continue to receive them,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios last week. “The sole mission of DOGE is to identify waste, fraud and abuse only.”
- The administration insists the fraud is much larger than the $100 million per year acting commissioner Lee Dudek cited last week at a press conference — into the billions of dollars, instead.
- The White House said on Sunday that more changes are coming.
- “President Trump has consistently pledged to ensure the federal government is a responsible steward of taxpayers’ dollars,” spokeswoman Liz Huston said in in email Sunday night. “The previous fraud strategy has failed, and as a result, necessary changes are coming.”
Where it stands: Comments from Trump officials — particularly from Elon Musk, who has called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” — have even some Trump allies on edge, per reporting from NBC.
- Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick touched off a frenzy last week when he suggested seniors wouldn’t complain if they missed a check, and the only people who would complain were fraudsters. His spokesperson told Axios over the weekend that Lutnick “is committed to protecting Social Security for all eligible Americans.”
- Acting commissioner Lee Dudek sparked concerns when he claimed a court order restricting DOGE access to sensitive data left him no choice but to cut IT access for almost all his employees. (That interpretation was incorrect, a federal judge told him repeatedly.)
Other changes are impeding services, as well. The agency is seeing experienced staff leave, and is planning job cuts and office closures.
- Return-to-office orders are also slowing productivity, particularly for those who handle disability claims.
- “Employees have reported crowding issues in workspaces, in-office health hazards (pests, COVID, mold) or that management advised employees to work in conferences rooms … due to lack of space,” said an email from the AFGE union to some employees, which went out Thursday and was viewed by Axios.
“There’s gonna be a slowdown, a complete slowdown, in people getting any of the services they need,” says a current employee, who requested anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak to the press, and are fearful of retaliation.
- “People who actually are qualified for disability benefits will not get them in any kind of timely manner,” they said. “It feels like we don’t serve the public anymore.”