It sure sounds like Elon Musk is coming for Social Security

Elon Musk thinks he’s found a foolproof get-rich scheme.

As he’s described it in interviews, all you need to do is get a fake Social Security number and file as a 300-year-old person, and the money will come rolling in.

But don’t be fooled. The only scheme here is Musk’s, and the only people who will get richer are him and President Donald Trump.

As the federal government teeters on the edge of a shutdown, these falsehoods about “waste, fraud and abuse” are being spread as a justification for Musk to take his chainsaw to the earned benefits that help keep tens of millions of Americans out of poverty.

If they win this fight, the next shutdown will be of Social Security, achieving a dream of hardcore libertarians and movement conservatives for more than 90 years.

First, let’s get the facts straight.

According to a 2024 report from Social Security’s inspector general, less than 1% of payments made over a seven-year period were improper, which is a far different standard than fraudulent. Musk, meanwhile, is claiming tens of millions of fraudulent recipients, which, since there are about 73 million Americans on Social Security, would be a fraud rate of at least 25% — or roughly 1 in 4 recipients.

The references to 150-year-olds getting benefit checks also appears to be driven by how the software responds when a birth date is missing, as well as names that are not receiving benefits but have not been properly marked as deceased, according to an Associated Press fact-check. This is a far cry from the massive fraud and waste that Musk is claiming.

In an interview with Fox Business Network on Monday, Musk also claimed without proof that people are collecting benefits with “fake Social Security numbers.” If it were that easy to sell or make up a Social Security number, there would be a booming black market to fleece Uncle Sam.

Maybe there is another explanation. Ever hear of a beneficiary? When someone loses a spouse or parent, they typically are eligible to receive survivor benefits. That’s exactly what happened to my mother after my father died in 2017. That’s not fraud or abuse. That is how the program works. She’s the surviving spouse. This is all stuff you can learn from a quick Google search, by the way.

I’d like to point out, too, that “waste, fraud and abuse” are actually three very different things, although Musk and Trump keep lumping them together. Fraud is a crime, and if Musk has evidence there are tens of millions of Americans committing fraud, then he should be referring that to prosecutors. The fact that the Justice Department has filed zero indictments based on these so-called findings should speak for itself.

In my view, Musk is either intentionally skirting the truth or he just doesn’t understand how Social Security works. Neither option is a good look for the world’s richest man, who has been given unchecked power over the federal government.

While the focus is on Musk, we can’t lose sight of why this is happening: Donald Trump. The president of the United States empowered his biggest political donor to fire thousands of federal workers and undermine the federal government. As a result, Musk’s ratings in polls have dropped. But Democrats on Capitol Hill need to make clear to voters that Musk and Trump are one and the same.

Republicans in Congress are essentially taking orders from Trump and an unelected tech tycoon who woke up one day and decided to go to Washington. They currently don’t really have a say in what happens next. They have essentially forfeited their job as a coequal branch of government to keep the executive branch in check. Democrats also need to make clear that this isn’t the job that voters sent them to Washington to do.

As Social Security faces its biggest threat since the George W. Bush administration, Democrats need to do more to draw attention to it. They should highlight stories of real people who rely on these government programs. Voters should hear about how these benefits helped people fill a financial gap during a desperate time in their lives, especially at a time when the cost of living keeps rising.

That would put in context the fact that last month, DOGE announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs from the agency, about a 12% reduction of its workforce.

Martin O’Malley, a former commissioner of the Social Security Administration, has warned the Trump administration’s actions threaten the “interruption of benefits.” We could find out as soon as next month whether the cuts to the workforce will lead to missed payments for the first time in Social Security’s history.

I’ve heard from people saying my concern over these payments is just a scare tactic. But I have real concerns! Many people don’t want to believe this, but we must be vigilant as those in power gamble with people’s lives.

This is not coming from me. It’s their words. Musk told us that he thinks Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, which is not an accurate description. Speaker Mike Johnson has said he wants to target “waste and abuse.” The president, who has long claimed he would protect Social Security, sure seems dedicated to undermining trust in the system. At this point, it would be strange if he didn’t try to cut benefits.

People’s lives are on the line. A few missed Social Security payments due to DOGE cuts and many seniors could lose their homes. Others could have to scrimp on food and other basic necessities to get by. And all of this would be happening with no one answering the phone to help. We can’t let this happen.

For more thought-provoking insights from Symone Sanders-Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez, watch “The Weekend” every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on MSNBC.