DOGE's 'Major Cleanup' of Social Security Nears Huge Milestone

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has issued an update on the "major cleanup" of death records being carried out by the government spending task force at the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Newsweek has contacted DOGE for comment via email outside of regular working hours.

Why It Matters

Elon Musk, who has been spearheading the spending and waste reduction efforts conducted by DOGE, earlier this year incorrectly claimed that millions of Social Security recipients marked as being well over 100 years old were receiving benefits—although the SSA has confirmed this is not the case.

In the following weeks, DOGE has been conducting a "clean up" of the federal agency's death records.

What To Know

"For the past 4 weeks,@SocialSecurity has been executing a major cleanup of their records," the post reads on X, formerly Twitter. "Approximately 9.9 million numberholders, all listed age 120+, have now been marked deceased."

DOGE confirmed that it has another 2 million records to go before the system update is complete.

It follows a previous update from DOGE on March 24, which confirmed that more than 7 million Social Security number holders had been marked as deceased.

The latest table posted by DOGE shows that more than 9.9 million records have been updated, including some 2.3 million that were registered as being between 120 and 129 years old; 3.1 million aged from 130 to 139; and another 4.4 million recorded as being more than 140 years old.

Musk first brought attention to the SSA's records on deceased Social Security number holders in February. He posted a spreadsheet of data showing "the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!"

"Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security," Musk wrote. He later reiterated his claim in an appearance at the White House alongside President Donald Trump.

However, the information he posted appears to originate from the SSA's Numident system, which has maintained records of all Social Security numbers since their introduction in 1936.

According to a report by nonpartisan think-tank Brookings, the absence of a death date "doesn't necessarily mean the person is still alive; it may simply mean the death was never reported," saying that the system was introduced as a time when "when record-keeping was paper-based and less reliable."

"Computerized death records were not introduced until 1962, meaning information on deaths prior to that year is often incomplete or inaccurate," the report reads.

In a review conducted in March 2015, the SSA reported that death records had not been updated for 6.5 million individuals over the age of 112 who were likely deceased. The SSA has confirmed that these Social Security numbers are not in receipt of benefits, rather that they lack "a recorded date of death."

The agency also automatically halts benefit payments for anyone listed as 115 years or older.

What People Are Saying

On March 5, the SSA released a statement clarifying: "The data referenced in the media pertain to individuals whose records lack a recorded date of death. While these individuals may not be receiving benefits, it is crucial for the agency to uphold accurate and complete records."

What Happens Next

DOGE said on X that it continues to update the records, writing: "Another ~2 million to go."