President Donald Trump recently reiterated unfounded claims of significant fraud within the Social Security system during his address to a joint session of Congress. Trump highlighted alleged instances of incompetence and likely fraud, citing astonishing statistics such as 1.3 million individuals aged 150 to 159 and over 130,000 people over the age of 160 listed in the Social Security databases, with one person even reported as 360 years old. However, while there are active files for nearly 19 million individuals born before 1921 in the system, this does not necessarily indicate widespread fraud but rather a lack of death information due to historical reporting methods.
Contrary to Trump’s assertions, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has safeguards in place, such as terminating benefits for individuals at the age of 115. Additionally, a recent audit revealed $71.8 billion in improper Social Security payments from 2015 to 2022, primarily stemming from overpayments and some underpayments, which constituted less than 1% of the total benefits paid during that period. The SSA has clarified that individuals without a death record associated with their file may not necessarily be receiving benefits.
Despite Trump’s claims, the SSA has mechanisms to address fraud and errors within the system, ensuring the proper distribution of benefits and maintaining the integrity of the Social Security program.
