Trump administration cuts thousands off from Social Security

The Trump administration has added over 6,000 immigrants to a database of dead Social Security recipients, effectively cutting off benefits and their ability to work, US media reported Thursday.

Adding the immigrants to the so-called "death file" is "aimed at putting pressure on the undocumented immigrants to leave the country," the Washington Post said, citing a White House official.

The policy aligns with other high-profile anti-immigration measures taken by Donald Trump's White House since his second term began, including sending more than 200 suspected gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

Social Security Numbers (SSNs) are a key identifier for people in the United States, used to report earnings, establish eligibility for welfare benefits and other purposes.

Hundreds of thousands of people who are in the country illegally nevertheless have a US Social Security Number.

Many arrived during the Biden administration, which allowed certain people to enter temporarily as a way of reducing illegal border crossings.

The White House official told the Washington Post that once people are listed as dead in the Social Security system, they will be shut out by many employers, landlords and banks as well as federal agencies -- essentially ending their ability to earn a living in the country.

Media reported that the move to use the "death file" was spearheaded by staff from Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Citing administration documents, the New York Times reported that the initial group of 6,300 people was made up of "convicted criminals and 'suspected terrorists.'"

But both papers reported that the measure could soon be applied to many more undocumented migrants.

Weaponizing the Social Security system against undocumented migrants follows steps taken to share taxpayer information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with immigration authorities announced on Tuesday.

Millions of undocumented migrants have long paid taxes as a way of boosting both their immigration cases and the financial health of massive US federal programs such as Social Security.

Musk says DOGE will save $150b

Elon Musk on Thursday said his work as chief cost-cutter for the Trump administration would yield $150 billion in savings, a significant reduction from earlier estimates that had reached as high as $2 trillion.

"I'm excited to announce that we anticipate savings in fiscal year 2026 from reduction of waste and fraud by $150 billion," Musk told US president Donald Trump at a White House cabinet meeting that was open to the media.

Musk, the world's richest person, said the cuts "will actually result in better services for the American people."

The Tesla tycoon, who is Trump's advisor on sharply reducing federal spending, had claimed recently that savings achieved by his Department of Government Efficiency would be a trillion dollars.

Musk's role at the White House, which is slated to end next month, faces criticism in part because his companies have had huge US government contracts.

The DOGE reform team has triggered alarm among critics as well by gaining access through the US Treasury to sensitive data.

At the cabinet meeting, Trump said Musk's DOGE teams were "fantastic" and urged them to stay in place for the "long haul" to carry out more cost-cutting.