Senators: DOGE’s Social Security Role Risks Benefit Disruptions
▼ Summary
– Democratic senators warn that DOGE’s rushed IT upgrades at the Social Security Administration (SSA) could disrupt benefits or cause data loss.
– Senators Warren and Wyden cite concerns about DOGE’s plan to rebuild SSA’s code base in months, risking system collapse.
– SSA’s website has crashed multiple times since DOGE’s involvement, hindering beneficiaries’ access to accounts.
– The senators urge SSA to implement IT modernization with proper testing and safeguards, noting such projects typically take years.
– Warren criticizes DOGE’s approach as reckless, warning it could compromise private data, create security gaps, and cut benefits.
Democratic senators are raising alarms about potential disruptions to Social Security benefits due to rushed technology upgrades by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In a letter to Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Frank Bisignano, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden warned that DOGE’s aggressive timeline for overhauling the agency’s IT systems could lead to catastrophic failures, jeopardizing both benefit payments and sensitive data.
The concerns follow reports that DOGE, led by Steve Davis, a close associate of Elon Musk, plans to rebuild the SSA’s outdated codebase in just months. Experts previously cautioned that such a rapid overhaul risks collapsing the entire system. “DOGE’s reckless approach could leave millions of beneficiaries without critical support,” Warren emphasized, citing repeated website crashes since DOGE began its involvement earlier this year.
SSA’s aging infrastructure, much of which relies on the obsolete COBOL programming language, has long needed modernization. However, the senators argue that DOGE’s accelerated timeline lacks necessary safeguards. “Slashing through backend systems without proper testing invites security breaches and operational meltdowns,” Wyden noted. The letter demands transparency about DOGE’s role in recent system changes, potential data breaches, and plans to mitigate risks.
The SSA has already faced criticism for proposing workforce cuts and shifting toward AI-driven services. Bisignano’s vision of a “digital-first” agency clashes with warnings from former SSA technologists, who describe the current system as “a house of cards, tinkering without caution could trigger irreversible damage.”
With a June 17 deadline for Bisignano’s response, the senators stress that modernization must prioritize stability over speed. “Rushing this process isn’t innovation; it’s gambling with Americans’ livelihoods,” Warren added.
(Source: Wired)
