Is Elon Musk’s DOGE Sabotaging Social Security? Inside the Tech Crisis Leaving Millions Stranded

Social Security Is Breaking—And a Former Official Says Musk’s DOGE Team Is to Blame
Imagine waiting hours on hold to resolve a missed payment, only to have the website crash—again. This nightmare scenario is now reality for millions of Americans as the Social Security Administration (SSA) battles tech meltdowns and staff shortages. A former White House official accuses Elon Musk’s controversial DOGE initiative of destabilizing the agency’s operations, leading to chaos for retirees and disabled citizens. How did we get here—and is this a deliberate push toward privatization? Let’s dive in.

🔥 The Crisis: A Perfect Storm of Tech Failures and Staff Cuts

• 🚨 10 Days of Chaos: The SSA website crashed multiple times in a 10-day span, blocking millions from accessing accounts or updating personal details.
• 📞 Overloaded Call Centers: Wait times have skyrocketed as staff reductions hit 15%, with plans to close local offices entirely (Washington Post).
• 💸 Outdated Systems Meet Risky Upgrades: DOGE’s plan to rapidly replace COBOL—a 60-year-old programming language still used by SSA—with Java could trigger payment errors or missed benefits (Wired).
• 🎯 Vulnerable Groups Hit Hardest: Retirees and disabled Americans, who rely on SSA for 90% of their income, are left stranded by glitches and limited support.

✅ DOGE’s Fixes: Modernization or Sabotage?

• 🔒 Anti-Fraud Overhaul: DOGE claims it’s cracking down on “widespread fraud,” including alleged payments to 10 million deceased people—a claim experts call baseless.
• 🤖 Automation Push: Musk’s team slashed staff while promising AI-driven efficiency, mirroring his 2022 Twitter layoffs—but with life-or-death stakes.
• 🏦 Privatization Hints: Critics like Alex Jacquez warn this chaos aligns with GOP goals to privatize Social Security, noting DOGE’s push to outsource services.

“When you’re running a massive government bureaucracy, changes in the code could have serious ramifications for people who rely on these checks.” — Alex Jacquez, former NEC official

⚠️ Why Experts Are Sounding the Alarm

• 🚧 Rushed Tech Migration: Experts warn replacing COBOL in months (not years) risks system-wide errors. “You don’t break the old system without building the new one,” says ex-White House official Julie Siegel.
• 📉 Backdoor Benefit Cuts? Billionaire Mark Cuban calls DOGE’s anti-fraud measures a “backdoor way to cut payments.” Public backlash forced a two-week delay in their rollout.
• 🔍 Zero Transparency: Musk claims SSA recipients “will receive more money,” but Siegel counters: “If you can’t access benefits, they’re effectively denied.”

🚀 Final Thoughts: A Dangerous Experiment With America’s Safety Net

The DOGE-SSA saga feels like a high-stakes rerun of Musk’s Twitter takeover—but with pensions, not tweets, on the line. Success hinges on:

• 📈 Slowing down tech overhauls to prevent payment disasters
• 🙋 Reversing staff cuts hurting customer service
• 🚨 Ending privatization whispers undermining public trust

Is this a well-intentioned modernization effort—or a calculated move to dismantle Social Security? With 70 million Americans relying on SSA, the stakes couldn’t be higher. What do YOU think?

Let us know on X (Former Twitter)

Sources: Beatrice Nolan. Elon Musk’s DOGE is undermining the Social Security Administration’s technology and operations, former White House official says, April 1, 2025. https://fortune.com/2025/04/01/elon-musk-doge-social-security-benefits-cut-breaking-technology-former-white-house-official/