“A whistleblower report that the Trump administration wanted to purge 2.7 million people from the Social Security rolls confirms our worst fears about Trump’s real agenda – not to protect Social Security from abuse, but to abuse Social Security for craven political purposes.
Planning to move millions of names of immigrants (including children and seniors who are U.S. citizens or are in this country legally) into the Social Security Death Master File — effectively declaring them “dead” – is an unprecedented and dangerous misuse of the Social Security Administration (SSA). More importantly, it is a violation of federal law.
SSA’s mission is to deliver benefits to workers (and their families) who have earned them by contributing to Social Security with every paycheck. Social Security should never be used to punish individuals or groups of people because the current president deems them to be enemies, or an imaginary threat to this country. The Death Master File is for people who have been certified to have passed away, and no longer eligible for benefits. It is unethical and cruel for Trump to want to declare people dead so that they can no longer use their Social Security numbers or access their earned benefits. Anyone finding themselves on the Death Master File would be effectively ‘financially deceased,’ unable to open a bank account, rent or buy a home, or use their credit cards.
When the Trump administration began moving names to the Death Master File last year, people wrongly declared ‘dead’ had to prove themselves to still be alive, causing an enormous amount of stress and wasted time. Even though the whistleblower says the plan to move 2.7 million more people onto the Death Master File was tabled, the administration’s reported intention to do so – coupled with reckless cutbacks at SSA and the misuse of sensitive Social Security data by DOGE – proves once more that Trump, despite his claims to the contrary, cannot be trusted with Social Security.” – Max Richtman, President and CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
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Media inquiries contact:
Walter Gottlieb