Former SSA official says 2.7 million living listed as dead

A former senior Social Security Administration official has alleged that officials linked to the previous presidential administration discussed a plan to incorrectly list approximately 2.7 million living people as deceased in a federal database. The proposal, which was never implemented, was described in a 49-page whistleblower disclosure by former executive Jeremiah Schofield.

According to Schofield, who spent more than 25 years at the agency, the plan involved the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File. This database is used by banks, employers, and government agencies to verify whether an individual is alive and to stop benefits and services accordingly. Schofield stated the request originated from the Department of Homeland Security and was connected to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative established during the prior administration.

The alleged objective, as described by Schofield, was to make life so difficult for the targeted individuals that they would either leave the country voluntarily or appear at Social Security offices, where immigration authorities could potentially locate them. Schofield said he reviewed a sample of 25 names...