Blumenthal & Warren Demand Information On Alarming Whistleblower Disclosure Detailing Trump Administration Plot to 'Kill Off' 2.7 Million People in Social Security Database

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to three former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers and the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) demanding information about plans to mark 2.7 million people as dead in a Social Security database as part of the Trump Administration's immigration enforcement agenda.

A former SSA career official has publicly come forward for the first time to share firsthand knowledge of actions DOGE officials took to "kill off" more than 6,000 immigrants in SSA's records and future plans to mark as dead 2.7 million more individuals. Although the Trump Administration's efforts to weaponize SSA to target immigrants has been previously reported, the whistleblower, Jeremiah Schofield, has shared new details of conversations a DOGE staffer had regarding the specific motivation for this plan: either "the lives of these individuals would be ruined. . . and they would be driven to 'self-deport'" or "they would have to go to a local Social Security office, at which point SSA field office staff would send them to DHS offices" where officials would "detain them for deportation."

"As always with the Trump Administration, cruelty is the point. Thanks to this brave whistleblower's disclosure, we have more evidence that the Trump Administration used DOGE not just to recklessly slash government programs - they were looking for ways to purposefully hurt people, especially immigrants," Blumenthal said. "Senator Warren and I are demanding answers about how DOGE and the Trump Administration weaponized the Social Security Administration to carry out its lawless immigration enforcement agenda."

"Donald Trump has waged war on Social Security, and DOGE has been the tip of the spear, sowing chaos and corruption everywhere," Warren said. "This looks like an illegal attempt by DOGE to weaponize Social Security to carry out Trump's cruel immigration agenda."

Warren and Blumenthal's letter to former DOGE official Antonio Gracias is available here. Their letter to former DOGE official Jon Koval is available here. Their letter to former DOGE official Payton Rehling is available here. Their letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano is available here.

In July, Blumenthal released a PSI Minority staff report unveiling that DOGE generated at least $21.7 billion in waste across the federal government between January and July 2025. The report, "The $21.7 Billion Blunder: Analyzing the Waste Generated by DOGE," followed a months-long investigation into Elon Musk and DOGE and detailed a comprehensive account of how taxpayer dollars were squandered by DOGE despite its ostensible goal of eliminating government waste. That report followed an April 2025 memo completed by PSI Minority staff that estimated the legal liability Elon Musk was able to avoid through his previous efforts to gut the federal workforce and exert influence over federal agencies while he was at the helm of DOGE. PSI found that Musk and his companies were able to avoid at least $2.37 billion in potential liability due to federal investigations or other regulatory actions.

Warren spearheaded the launch of Senate Democrats' Social Security War Room, a coordinated effort to protect Social Security and fight back against Trump administration attacks making it harder for Americans to access their benefits. The War Room has succeeded in stopping many harmful policies in their tracks through rigorous oversight. Warren has specifically sounded the alarm on DOGE's chaos at Social Security, last year leading senators in pressing SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano on concerns that DOGE efforts to hastily upgrade Social Security tech infrastructure could cause major disruptions for beneficiaries.

-30-

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet

1. Immigration