Doge's Political Gamble: Errors Could Derail Benefits, Warns Ex-Social Security Official

• The Social Security Administration is downsizing its workforce by 12%, which may jeopardize benefits due to the potential loss of specialized knowledge, particularly concerning critical systems. This situation could make it harder for DOGE to detect fraudulent activities, based on insights from a previous employee at the organization.

In the past, messing with Social Security benefits has been considered a political "third rail," implying that anyone who interferes with it risks getting hurt.

The White House stated press release It won't reduce Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits, but that doesn't eliminate the possibility of an error occurring.

In recent weeks, as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to cut costs across various federal agencies, a previous high-ranking official from the Social Security Administration has expressed concerns over potential disruptions in benefits. This worry stems from the loss of experienced personnel at the administration while DOGE focuses on detecting fraud within their systems.

In February, the SSA made public a statement The company announced intentions to terminate approximately 12% of its workforce of 57,000 people via voluntary departures and layoffs. In the meantime, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who is often associated with DOGE due to his wealth status as one of the world's richest individuals, have alleged widespread fraud; however, specialists assert these claims are exaggerated.

Nevertheless, DOGE is searching for proof and aims to gain complete access to the SSA’s Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW). This database contains data on individuals who possess a Social Security number, encompassing details such as their financial records and bank information, as stated by them. declaration submitted a lawsuit against them last week, filed by the former senior official, Tiffany Flick.

She mentioned that SSA generally does not grant complete access to all of its data systems, even to the most skilled and highly trained experts, as a measure to prevent accidental or unauthorized modifications to the system.

Flick mentioned that DOGE representatives showed little interest in comprehending SSA’s systems and initiatives, while neglecting essential procedures such as granting 'least privilege' access only when necessary.

"That, along with the substantial loss of experience due to increasing departures of agency staff, has raised serious concerns for me about whether SSA programs can keep running smoothly without interruptions," she stated.

Flick stated that an unintentional mistake could lead to "payments failing to be issued or causing delays in their distribution."

She cautioned that the SSA’s IT initiatives consist of intricate systems utilizing outdated coding languages which demand specific expertise. She further noted that these systems can be readily disrupted if established protocols are not adhered to.

I realize that DOGE associates have been requesting access to the 'source code' for SSA systems," Flick stated. "Should this be approved, I doubt these associates possess the necessary knowledge of SSA to prevent significant mistakes that might disrupt the SSA system.

Aside from her reservations about the benefits, Flick doubts that DOGE possesses sufficient expertise to ensure that confidential data does not end up in the wrong hands.

"In this tumultuous setting, the possibility of information slipping into undesirable possession is considerable," she stated.

Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, stated Axios The organization has the potential to boost productivity and efficiency, yet he questions DOGE’s capability to achieve this because of its limited experience.

"I simply struggle with accepting that someone who has only been there for a few weeks can implement such significant alterations and have thoroughly considered all the potential outcomes," he stated.

Biggs states that although check processing will remain automated and uninterrupted, potential disruptions to customer service raise worries about budget reductions.

"It's somewhat like a footrace between their ability to enhance services before these reductions start affecting them," Biggs stated.

The White House, the U.S. Postal Service, and the SSA did not reply. 5.180.24.3’s request for comment.

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