Ask Rusty: Will DOGE Hurt Social Security or Medicare Benefits

Dear Rusty: I am a new AMAC member and have an important question for you, and your answer will be greatly appreciated. My question is: Is the new DOGE effort going to help us, or hurt us, all those living on Social Security and receiving Medicare benefits? Please let us know soon. Signed: Worried Senior Dear Worried Senior: Here at the AMAC Foundation, we offer free access to everyone, the public as well as AMAC members, for our Social Security Advisory Service, at which we answer all inquiries with questions about Social Security and enrollment in Medicare. As you can imagine, we closely watch all the action in Washington, D.C. that will affect Social Security and Medicare, especially any Congressional legislation being considered. The new DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) organization is tasked with uncovering and eliminating fraud and waste in all areas of the federal government, and that includes Social Security and Medicare. But the important thing to remember is that DOGE is seeking only to discover fraud and government waste. Recently a great deal of visibility has been given to DOGE’s efforts to discover potential fraud (and waste) in the Social Security Administration (SSA). Everything we have seen thus far indicates that DOGE’s efforts have identified opportunities for reducing fraud and waste at the SSA, so our expectation is that DOGE’s efforts will tend to help the SSA become more efficient but not endanger anyone’s Social Security benefits. Indeed, President Trump and the DOGE team have repeatedly said that no cuts in Social Security benefits will occur as a result of DOGE’s efforts. Reducing fraud and waste at the SSA would tend to improve the agency’s financial posture and improve its ability to pay full benefits longer. The same is true for Medicare. Actually, DOGE is transparent and posts everything it finds on this website: www.doge.gov. A quick look at the site reveals that none of what DOGE has found at the SSA indicates any threat to Social Security or Medicare benefits. I suggest that any negative news media and social media accounts of DOGE’s activities be taken with a grain of salt. All such articles are largely meant to attract attention to unlikely “doomsday” scenarios. The reality is that our government is more than $36 trillion in debt, and that debt is growing, which is an unsustainable financial path for our country. DOGE is specifically tasked with eliminating the deficit gap by reducing frivolous government spending and fraud. But reducing crucial benefits for seniors on Social Security and Medicare are not part of DOGE’s efforts, nor its goal. Rest assured that here at the AMAC Foundation we are watching all current DOGE efforts closely and will vigorously oppose anything that will negatively affect Social Security and Medicare. Indeed, AMAC’s stated goal is to strengthen and preserve Social Security for all future generations.        

---

Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4-million-member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained, and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.