White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt set the record straight Monday night. She told Fox News that President Donald Trump directed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk to uncover fraud in the Social Security Department.
Democrats have pushed back against Musk’s involvement with Trump’s administration. The criticism escalated after Musk posted a chart on X. The chart showed Social Security records listing ages from zero to 369 years old.
“I’ve been fighting fake news reporters all day,” Leavitt told Sean Hannity. “They are trying to fear-monger Americans into believing this administration is going after their hard-earned tax dollars and Social Security checks. So I want to set the record straight on your show tonight, Sean. And I’m very grateful for the opportunity to do so. President Trump has directed Elon Musk and the DOGE team to identify fraud at the Social Security Administration.”
“They haven’t even dug into the books yet,” Leavitt continued. “But they suspect that tens of millions of deceased people are still receiving fraudulent Social Security payments. Their goal is to identify three things.”
A 2023 audit from the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General found troubling data. It revealed that about 18.9 million Social Security number holders, born in 1920 or earlier, had no recorded death information.
Leavitt blasted the media’s response. She accused the “legacy fake news” of trying to scare people. She said the administration’s motives were clear.
“Number one, to identify duplicate payments and stop them,” Leavitt said. “Number two, to end payments going to deceased people who should no longer be receiving that money. Number three, to protect the integrity of the system for hardworking Americans who have been paying into it their entire lives.”
She assured viewers their Social Security was safe. “Rest assured, if you paid into the system honestly, you will continue to receive your Social Security checks,” Leavitt said. “Do not buy into the lies from the legacy fake news media. They have been doing this for years with every promise Trump has made. He is going in there to protect your hard-earned money. That is the ultimate goal.”
The Social Security Administration’s report followed a 2015 audit. That audit found 6.5 million people with Social Security numbers had no recorded death information.
The 2023 audit pointed to a likely reason. “We believe it likely SSA did not receive or record most of the 18.9 million individuals’ death information primarily because the individuals died decades ago—before the use of electronic death reporting,” the report said. Fixing these records would improve accuracy.
The Social Security Death Master File (DMF) tracks deceased individuals. It includes those with Social Security numbers whose deaths were officially reported.