Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., warned on Newsmax on Tuesday that the Social Security system could be facing a massive fraud issue, as millions of deceased individuals appear to be still receiving payments.
Appearing on "The Chris Salcedo Show," Steube pointed to the findings of Tesla and X CEO-turned-special government employee Elon Musk, who claimed the Social Security database lists over 20 million people as alive despite being over 100 years old, the New York Post reported.
Salcedo asked if anyone in this government had properly overseen this situation.
Steube replied, "Not under the Biden administration. Nobody cared that this was happening."
"I actually had a bill for the last couple of sessions that would cap that. [It] would require the IRS to look at taxpayers who are 95 or older to make sure that... they were still alive, because obviously with what DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] has now uncovered, that's a significant problem when you're paying dead people," he added.
Musk posted on X on Sunday that the Social Security database contained individuals as old as 369 years, raising concerns over fraud, waste, and mismanagement in government payment records.
Steube also pointed to broader fiscal concerns, citing a recent report that found the Treasury Department had not accounted for $4.7 trillion in government funds.
"There was just an article just recently where $4.7 trillion that DOGE has found that Treasury doesn't even know where it [the money] went," he said.
Steube blamed bureaucratic mismanagement for the potential fraud, saying the problem has gone unchecked for years.
"We have a deep state in Washington, D.C., that has been seated for decades," he said. "And now, finally, we are getting to the bottom of this."
Congress has yet to announce any formal investigation into the findings.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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