Current and former insiders at the Social Security Administration have told the New York Times that X owner Elon Musk is risking the entire system that pays out benefits that retired and disabled Americans rely on.
Michael Astrue, a former SSA commissioner appointed under President George W. Bush, told the Times that Musk appears to be using the same playbook on the Social Security Administration that he used when he acquired Twitter — engage in mass firings and then try to rebuild the system from the ground up.
"It’s extremely destructive," he warned.
Jason Fichtner, a former deputy commissioner and chief economist at the SSA, told the Times that Musk and his minions at the Department of Government Efficiency were acting "like a drunk operating a wrecking ball" in their approach to the agency.
ALSO READ: 'An utter ignoramus': Canadian experts rip into 'bluster' of Trump's '51st state' plan
Angela Digeronimo, a claims specialist and a union leader in New Jersey who has been working at the SSA for nearly three decades, told the Times that she believes Musk's plans are going to result in the agency being completely dismantled.
“It will affect the public in a very tangible way,” she said. “I hate to say this, but more and more people will die while waiting for a medical determination on their disability claim.”