{"id":5084,"date":"2025-03-11T19:04:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T02:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084"},"modified":"2025-03-11T19:04:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T02:04:46","slug":"musk-eyes-social-security-and-benefit-programs-for-cuts-while-claiming-widespread-fraud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084","title":{"rendered":"Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u00a0Elon Musk<\/a>\u00a0pushed debunked theories about\u00a0Social Security<\/a>\u00a0on Monday while describing federal benefit programs as rife with fraud, suggesting they will be a primary target in his crusade to reduce government spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The billionaire entrepreneur, who is advising President Donald Trump<\/a>, suggested that $500 billion to $700 billion in waste needed to be cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of the federal spending is entitlements,\u201d Musk told the Fox Business Network. \u201cThat\u2019s the big one to eliminate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comments on the popular program and other benefits provided to Americans could rattle politicians on both sides of the aisle as Musk works to downsize the federal government, especially as he already faces blowback for his chainsaw-wielding approach<\/a> to laying off workers and slashing programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s estimate for the level of fraud in entitlements far outpaces figures from watchdogs like Social Security\u2019s inspector general, who previously said there was $71.8 billion in improper payments from fiscal years 2015 through 2022. That\u2019s less than 1% of benefits paid out during that time period.

 Elon Musk<\/a> pushed debunked theories about Social Security<\/a> on Monday while describing federal benefit programs as rife with fraud, suggesting they will be a primary target in his crusade to reduce government spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The billionaire entrepreneur, who is advising President Donald Trump<\/a>, suggested that $500 billion to $700 billion in waste needed to be cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of the federal spending is entitlements,\u201d Musk told the Fox Business Network. \u201cThat\u2019s the big one to eliminate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comments on the popular program and other benefits provided to Americans could rattle politicians on both sides of the aisle as Musk works to downsize the federal government, especially as he already faces blowback for his chainsaw-wielding approach<\/a> to laying off workers and slashing programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s estimate for the level of fraud in entitlements far outpaces figures from watchdogs like Social Security\u2019s inspector general, who previously said there was $71.8 billion in improper payments from fiscal years 2015 through 2022. That\u2019s less than 1% of benefits paid out during that time period.

\u201cThese individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits,\u201d said Lee Dudek, Social Security\u2019s acting commissioner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interview with Fox Business was a reminder of Musk\u2019s deep skepticism and even hostility toward the program, which provides monthly benefits to retirees and some children. Trump has promised to defend Social Security from cuts, but Musk has described it as \u201cthe biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,\u201d and the administration is shutting down<\/a> some of the agency\u2019s offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musk said Monday that federal entitlements are \u201ca mechanism by which the Democrats attract and retain illegal immigrants by essentially paying them to come here and then turning them into voters.\u201d The allegation echoed the\u00a0\u201cgreat replacement\u201d theory<\/a>, which claims that politicians are trying to expand their power by reshaping the country\u2019s racial demographics.

The interview was conducted in the White House complex by Larry Kudlow<\/a>, who served as an economic adviser to Trump during his first term. During the conversation, Musk seemed to acknowledge the unusual nature of his role in the administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrankly, I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m here doing this,\u201d Musk said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of bizarre.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musk is the world\u2019s richest person and still runs his private enterprises as he advises the president on ways to overhaul the federal government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also thanked Trump for his confidence, saying, \u201cWithout the president\u2019s support, we couldn\u2019t make any progress here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump has publicly backed Musk and given him extraordinary influence over the federal government. However, the Republican president has indicated a shift in approach, saying that Musk\u2019s team would use a \u201cscalpel\u201d rather than a \u201chatchet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musk has not often spoken publicly since joining the administration, preferring instead to present a stream of consciousness on X, his social media platform. On Monday, he accused Democrats of attacking Tesla dealerships; bragged about X being \u201cthe top source for news on Earth;\u201d and accused Arizona Democratic Sen.\u00a0Mark Kelly<\/a>, a former fighter pilot and astronaut, of being a traitor for visiting Ukraine over the weekend.

Musk\u2019s sitdown with Kudlow was his third interview since joining Trump\u2019s administration, and he hasn\u2019t strayed from his ideological safe space. He previously did a joint interview with the president and Sean Hannity<\/a> of Fox News, and he sat down with Joe Rogan<\/a>, a podcaster who endorsed Trump last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republicans have spent decades trying to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, and many have cheered Musk\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people are sick of the swamp. They\u2019re sick of waste, fraud and abuse,\u201d\u00a0said Rep. Richard Hudson<\/a>\u00a0of North Carolina, who leads the National Republican Congressional Committee. \u201cFor the first time ever, we finally have the tools to affect it. So I think the voters are going to reward us.\u201d

But there are signs of backlash and skepticism. Some Republicans have even boasted of blocking budget cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole<\/a> issued a statement saying three federal offices in his state \u2014 the National Weather Center in Norman, the Social Security Administration Office in Lawton and the Indian Health Services Office in Oklahoma City \u2014 would stay open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am thrilled to announce that common sense has prevailed,\u201d he said. Cole added that \u201call three of these places provide vital and valuable services to Oklahomans and I am so proud to have advocated for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About half of Americans said it\u2019s \u201ca bad thing\u201d that Trump has given Musk a prominent role in his administration, according to a mid-February CNN\/SSRS poll. Only a third saw it as \u201ca good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another mid-February survey by The Washington Post and Ipsos found that Americans were divided on whether Musk is mainly cutting wasteful spending or necessary programs, with about a third falling into each camp. Another quarter said they weren\u2019t sure.

Reprinted from Associated Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Elon Musk\u00a0pushed debunked theories about\u00a0Social Securi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5085,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[4640,1528,1735],"class_list":["post-5084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa","tag-musk","tag-security","tag-social"],"yoast_head":"\nMusk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud - abovecloud<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"zh_CN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud - abovecloud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0Elon Musk\u00a0pushed debunked theories about\u00a0Social Securi […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"abovecloud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-12T02:04:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-12T02:04:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-8.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"980\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"653\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u4f5c\u8005\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"TSOC\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"\u9884\u8ba1\u9605\u8bfb\u65f6\u95f4\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 \u5206\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/\",\"name\":\"abovecloud\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"zh-Hans\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"zh-Hans\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-8.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-8.png\",\"width\":980,\"height\":653},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084\",\"name\":\"Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud - abovecloud\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-12T02:04:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-12T02:04:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/c3dfcc4d98f62582d53cee65a4f66054\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"zh-Hans\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u9996\u9875\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/c3dfcc4d98f62582d53cee65a4f66054\",\"name\":\"TSOC\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"zh-Hans\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b544a9840d5be448416e571f5f8baf908b3375d6fab2436e830dfa46f317de82?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b544a9840d5be448416e571f5f8baf908b3375d6fab2436e830dfa46f317de82?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g\",\"caption\":\"TSOC\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?author=3\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud - abovecloud","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084","og_locale":"zh_CN","og_type":"article","og_title":"Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud - abovecloud","og_description":"\u00a0Elon Musk\u00a0pushed debunked theories about\u00a0Social Securi […]","og_url":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084","og_site_name":"abovecloud","article_published_time":"2025-03-12T02:04:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-12T02:04:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":980,"height":653,"url":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-8.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"\u4f5c\u8005":"TSOC","\u9884\u8ba1\u9605\u8bfb\u65f6\u95f4":"5 \u5206"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/","name":"abovecloud","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"zh-Hans"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"zh-Hans","@id":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-8.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-8.png","width":980,"height":653},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084#webpage","url":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084","name":"Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud - abovecloud","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2025-03-12T02:04:19+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-12T02:04:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/c3dfcc4d98f62582d53cee65a4f66054"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"zh-Hans","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?p=5084#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u9996\u9875","item":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/c3dfcc4d98f62582d53cee65a4f66054","name":"TSOC","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"zh-Hans","@id":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b544a9840d5be448416e571f5f8baf908b3375d6fab2436e830dfa46f317de82?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b544a9840d5be448416e571f5f8baf908b3375d6fab2436e830dfa46f317de82?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g","caption":"TSOC"},"url":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/?author=3"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5084"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5086,"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5084\/revisions\/5086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abovecloud.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}