The White House stated that Elon Musk addressed the issue of reducing waste and fraud.
On Tuesday, the White House issued a
statement asserting that the Trump administration will not be cutting Social Security or Medicare, following comments from presidential adviser Elon Musk regarding potential cuts to entitlement programs.
During a Fox News interview on Monday, Musk discussed the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), mentioning that a significant portion of government spending relates to entitlements. This led to speculation in the media that he intends to propose cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
“Most federal spending is on entitlements, and the waste and fraud associated with entitlement spending is significant. So, that’s a major area to address,” Musk
explained to Larry Kudlow during the Fox interview, suggesting that such cuts could potentially lead to annual savings exceeding $600 billion.
In its
statement titled “FACT CHECK: President Trump Will Always Protect Social Security, Medicare,” the White House clarified that Musk was referring to the elimination of fraud and waste in entitlement spending, rather than advocating for cuts to these programs.
“President Trump himself has
reiterated it (
numerous times), and Musk did not make that claim. The media is misrepresenting the facts,” read the statement, including links to Trump’s previous remarks concerning the issue.
The White House further posed the question: “What kind of person fails to support the eradication of waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending that ultimately costs taxpayers more?”
In the statement, the White House referenced governmental findings on fraud and waste, noting a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
report which estimates that the U.S. loses $521 billion each year to fraud, particularly within the Medicaid and Medicare programs.
It also pointed to an August 2024
report from the Social Security Administration’s inspector general that revealed $72 billion in improper payments and a
report indicating that the government has issued $2.7 trillion in “improper payments” over the last two decades, including payments made to deceased individuals or those no longer eligible for government assistance. Additionally, a statement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services highlighted that the agency made $140 billion in “improper payments” last year.
Throughout various media interviews, Trump has frequently emphasized his unwillingness to alter Medicare or Social Security, insisting that he aims to eliminate fraud within these programs.
“Social Security won’t be affected, except in cases of fraud or similar issues. It will be reinforced, but it won’t be diminished,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity in February.
“None of that—Medicare, Medicaid—is going to be affected,” he
asserted in the same interview, while noting his intent to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving such payments.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump reiterated multiple times that he would not make changes to Medicare or Social Security, even proposing to eliminate income taxes on Social Security benefits at one point. A forecast from the Congressional Budget Office predicts that the Social Security program will face insolvency by the 2030s.
Additionally, Musk spoke with Hannity during the February interview, emphasizing that federal spending must be reduced to avoid jeopardizing Social Security and Medicare in the future.
“We have to address the deficit; otherwise, we will merely be servicing debt,” Musk remarked. “It needs to be resolved, or there will be no medical care, no Social Security, no support. It must be tackled.”
