WASHINGTON – Elon Musk pushed debunked theories about Social Security on Monday whereas describing federal profit applications as rife with fraud, suggesting they are going to be a major goal in his campaign to cut back authorities spending.
The billionaire entrepreneur, who’s advising President Donald Trump, advised that $500 billion to $700 billion in waste wanted to be minimize.
“Many of the federal spending is entitlements,” Musk advised the Fox Enterprise Community. “That’s the large one to eradicate.”
The feedback on the favored program and different advantages offered to People may rattle politicians on each side of the aisle as Musk works to downsize the federal authorities, particularly as he already faces blowback for his chainsaw-wielding approach to shedding employees and slashing applications.
Musk’s estimate for the extent of fraud in entitlements far outpaces figures from watchdogs like Social Safety’s inspector basic, who beforehand mentioned there was $71.8 billion in improper funds from fiscal years 2015 by means of 2022. That is lower than 1% of advantages paid out throughout that point interval.
Musk additionally mentioned there have been “20 million people who find themselves undoubtedly lifeless marked as alive within the Social Safety database.” Nevertheless, the chief of the company has rejected claims about widespread funds to lifeless individuals.
“These people will not be essentially receiving advantages,” mentioned Lee Dudek, Social Safety’s appearing commissioner.
The interview with Fox Enterprise was a reminder of Musk’s deep skepticism and even hostility towards this system, which supplies month-to-month advantages to retirees and a few youngsters. Trump has promised to defend Social Safety from cuts, however Musk has described it as “the largest Ponzi scheme of all time,” and the administration is shutting down a few of the company’s workplaces.
Musk mentioned Monday that federal entitlements are “a mechanism by which the Democrats appeal to and retain unlawful immigrants by basically paying them to come back right here after which turning them into voters.” The allegation echoed the “great replacement” theory, which claims that politicians try to broaden their energy by reshaping the nation’s racial demographics.
The interview was performed within the White Home advanced by Larry Kudlow, who served as an financial adviser to Trump throughout his first time period. Through the dialog, Musk appeared to acknowledge the weird nature of his position within the administration.
“Frankly, I can’t imagine I’m right here doing this,” Musk mentioned. “It is type of weird.”
Musk is the world’s richest individual and nonetheless runs his non-public enterprises as he advises the president on methods to overtake the federal authorities.
He additionally thanked Trump for his confidence, saying, “With out the president’s help, we couldn’t make any progress right here.”
Trump has publicly backed Musk and given him extraordinary affect over the federal authorities. Nevertheless, the Republican president has indicated a shift in strategy, saying that Musk’s crew would use a “scalpel” somewhat than a “hatchet.”
Musk has not usually spoken publicly since becoming a member of the administration, preferring as a substitute to current a stream of consciousness on X, his social media platform. On Monday, he accused Democrats of attacking Tesla dealerships; bragged about X being “the highest supply for information on Earth;” and accused Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former fighter pilot and astronaut, of being a traitor for visiting Ukraine over the weekend.
Musk’s sitdown with Kudlow was his third interview since becoming a member of Trump’s administration, and he hasn’t strayed from his ideological secure house. He beforehand did a joint interview with the president and Sean Hannity of Fox Information, and he sat down with Joe Rogan, a podcaster who endorsed Trump final 12 months.
Republicans have spent a long time making an attempt to cut back the dimensions and scope of the federal authorities, and plenty of have cheered Musk’s work.
“The American persons are sick of the swamp. They’re sick of waste, fraud and abuse,” said Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who leads the Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee. “For the primary time ever, we lastly have the instruments to have an effect on it. So I believe the voters are going to reward us.”
However there are indicators of backlash and skepticism. Some Republicans have even boasted of blocking finances cuts.
Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole issued a press release saying three federal workplaces in his state — the Nationwide Climate Heart in Norman, the Social Safety Administration Workplace in Lawton and the Indian Well being Companies Workplace in Oklahoma Metropolis — would keep open.
“I’m thrilled to announce that widespread sense has prevailed,” he mentioned. Cole added that “all three of those locations present very important and worthwhile companies to Oklahomans and I’m so proud to have advocated for them.”
About half of People mentioned it’s “a nasty factor” that Trump has given Musk a outstanding position in his administration, in keeping with a mid-February CNN/SSRS ballot. Solely a 3rd noticed it as “a superb factor.”
One other mid-February survey by The Washington Publish and Ipsos discovered that People had been divided on whether or not Musk is especially slicing wasteful spending or crucial applications, with a few third falling into every camp. One other quarter mentioned they weren’t positive.
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