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Commentary: A Social Security insider describes DOGE's rampage at the agency and the threat to your benefits
It started on Jan. 31, when someone named Mike Russo showed up at the Social Security Administration offices outside Baltimore and started introducing himself as a representative of DOGE, the federal budget-cutting service headed by Elon Musk.
Over subsequent days, he urged seniorSocial Security Administration officials to take the deferred resignation offer that had been sent out by DOGE under the heading “Fork in the Road.” The so-called Department of Government Efficiency set up its own internal team at the agency to ferret out information from its files. Social Security officials offered to brief the DOGE team about how the agency operates to ensure that payments are made accurately; they didn’t seem interested.
These details and others are drawn from an extraordinary declaration made in Maryland federal court by Tiffany Flick, who rose during her 30 years with the agency to become acting chief of staff to acting Commissioner Michelle King. Flick retired shortly after King was replaced as acting commissioner by Leland Dudek, formerly a mid-level agency employee, on Feb. 16.
If SSA’s…procedures are not followed…that could result in benefits payments not being paid out or delays in payments.
— Former Social Security official Tiffany Flick
Flick’s declaration includes an explicit warning that DOGE’s rampage through the Social Security Administration “could result in benefits payments not being paid out or delays in payments.”
Make no mistake: This would be catastrophic to millions of Americans and a politically toxic development.
The undermining of Social Security by the Trump administration has already begun. In a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s webcast, Musk called the program “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time”; as I wrote, that demonstrated that he knows nothing about Social Security, and nothing about Ponzi schemes.
Trump has stated that he’s “not touching” Social Security, but in his March 4 address to Congress he claimed that Musk had uncovered vast fraud at the agency, though he didn’t back up that claim.
Trump officials have taken steps to cut Social Security employees by more than 10%, which would undermine the agency’s already overstretched ability to provide customer service to claimants and beneficiaries.
Most recently, the administration briefly canceled the right of Maine residents to register their newborns for Social Security numbers remotely at birth, requiring them instead to bring their infants to a Social Security field office to complete the necessary paperwork.
Following an uproar, that action was reversed within a day, but it raised suspicions that it was undertaken to punish Mainers for their Democratic governor’s public upbraiding of Trump at a Washington meeting.
Social Security has made payments earned by American workers, their survivors and dependents for 85 years, without a break. That record is fundamental to the program’s overwhelming popularity, the confidence it enjoys among its roughly 70 million current beneficiaries and its stature as the greatest safety net program in American history, keeping more than 22 million Americans out of poverty.
Flick’s declaration was filed as part of a lawsuit brought by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and other plaintiffs seeking to block DOGE’s access to the Social Security Administration and its data. I asked the Social Security Administration for comment on Flick’s assertions, but haven’t received a reply.
The declaration makes sickening reading. She describes how her agency was invaded by know-nothing DOGE employees who ran roughshod over agency rules and procedures designed to protect the confidentiality of private personal information about beneficiaries and their family members, as required by law.
Social Security master files that DOGE demanded and may have received access to include “information about anyone with a Social Security number, including names, names of spouses and dependents, work history, financial and banking information, immigration or citizenship status, and marital status,” Flick states.
The DOGE representatives were secretive about what they were doing at the agency, she writes. They appeared to be focused on “the general myth of supposed widespread Social Security fraud, rather than facts.” Their concerns fell into three categories: “untrue allegations regarding benefit payments to deceased people of advanced age;…single Social Security numbers receiving multiple benefits…; [and] payments made to people without a Social Security number.”
Each of those concerns, Flick writes, was “invalid” and “based on an inaccurate understanding of SSA’s data and programs.”
The assertion that payments are being made to people as old as 150 years, as I reported earlier, resulted from DOGE’s misunderstanding of the agency’s software; nevertheless it was bandied about by Musk at a White House press briefing and repeated in exaggerated form by Trump in his March 4 speech.
As for multiple benefits being paid on single Social Security numbers, that’s normal: “DOGE seemed to misunderstand the fact that benefits payments to spouses and dependents will be based on the Social Security number of a single worker,” Flick explains.
And she states that SSA officials have never seen evidence that benefits are inappropriately being paid to people without a Social Security number. DOGE didn’t give agency officials “enough information to understand the source of the concern.”
Officials who tried to block them were sidelined. As Flick describes the incursion, Dudek informed her on Jan. 30 that Russo and another DOGE representative would shortly be arriving at the agency.
Because Dudek was a mid-level employee, Flick asked why he was in contact with anyone at DOGE. She told him to cease any such contact, and informed him that all further contact with DOGE would be handled by the office of acting Commissioner King.
Over the next week or two, King’s office was peppered with demands from DOGE that a software engineer, Akash Bobba, be given access to SSA data.
“That request was unprecedented,” Flick says, not only in its nature but its haste. Ultimately, Bobba was given “read-only” access to limited SSA data. Flick soon determined that Bobba was not working in a secure location, as was required under agency rules, but off-site at the Office of Personnel Management, a separate executive branch agency.
She says it appeared that other, non-SSA people were working with him and may have had access to the protected personal information. Of greater concern, although Bobba had “read-only” access to the data, meaning that he couldn’t change it, he had the ability to “copy and paste, export, and screenshot that data.”
In any case, Russo demanded that Bobba have access to “everything, including source code,” Flick declares. “Generally, we would not provide full access [to] all data systems even to our most skilled and highly trained experts.” The request to give Bobba unfettered access to the data “without justifying the ‘need to know’ this information was contrary to SSA’s long-standing privacy protection policies and regulations,” but no one would explain why its access was needed.
Dudek was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 14 and an investigation was opened into whether he had inappropriate contact with DOGE. Two days later, President Trump named Dudek acting commissioner.
The luxury shopping center in Pacific Palisades will reopen next month after more than $100 million in renovations forced by the January 2025 wildfire that devastated the Los Angeles neighborhood.
Palisades Village will reopen Aug. 15, owner Rick Caruso announced Wednesday. The outdoor center survived the blaze that destroyed homes and other businesses but needed refurbishment to eliminate contaminants that the fire could have spread.
Crews are putting finishing touches on mall buildings after tearing them down to the studs, treating the wood and rebuilding the walls, Caruso said.
“Everybody’s working, and stores are moving their products in,” he said. “It’s a really cool feeling that people have really locked arms and are working together.”
An electrician installs lighting for a restaurant at Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village on Thursday. The shopping center is scheduled to reopen mid-August.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Pacific Palisades resident Allison Polhill, who is rebuilding the home of 30 years that her family lost in the blaze, said she is “thrilled” at the prospect of returning to the mall she used to frequent. Its comeback is a boost for the community, she said.
“Every single step that we make to reopen our commercial corridors is going to bring more people back into the Palisades,” said Polhill, who expects to move back into her home at the end of August.
A total of 6,822 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire, including more than 5,500 residences and 100 commercial businesses, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Caruso previously attributed the mall’s survival to the hard work of private firefighters and the fire-resistant materials used in the mall’s construction.
The $200-million shopping and dining center opened in 2018 with a movie theater and a roster of upmarket tenants, including Erewhon, which may be the only grocer in the heart of the fire-ravaged neighborhood when it opens.
Caruso’s company was able to fill the mall with tenants despite the long shutdown.
Palisades Village is 99% leased, with the majority of tenants returning, said Jackie Levy, chief financial and revenue officer. Nearly one-third of the shops and restaurants are new to the property.
A firefighter carries a hose back to his rig while walking through a destroyed home from the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Last year, Pacific Palisades-based fashion designer Elyse Walker said she would reopen her eponymous store in Palisades Village after losing her 25-year flagship location on Antioch Street to the inferno.
Other neighborhood shops destroyed in the fire that are reopening at the mall include K Bakery and Loomey’s Toys, which caters to children up to age 12 and used to be across the street from Palisades Elementary Charter School.
“It’s been a journey and I’m excited because I wasn’t sure that there was going to be a place to come back to,” said toy store owner Amanda Rastegar. “Hopefully we can bring some of that magic back.”
Rastegar’s home in the Palisades survived but was damaged by the fire. The family returned about eight weeks ago. Her last memory of the fire was a burning supermarket.
“I just couldn’t wrap my brain around what was happening,” she said. “By the time I left, Gelson’s was on fire.”
Among the returning tenants is Angelini Ristorante & Bar. Well-known Los Angeles chef Gino Angelini said he will be in the kitchen next month for a return of the Italian restaurant.
“We won’t do a big celebrity open,” he said. “We want to have a very soft opening and see our customers come back.”
Construction takes place at Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village on Thursday. The shopping center is scheduled to reopen mid-August.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
An elaborate celebration would not feel “correct for me,” Angelini said, because the devastation has been “very sad” for so many.
Other new tenants include local chef Nancy Silverton, who has agreed to move in with a new Italian steakhouse called Spacca Tutto. Women’s activewear retailer LESET will open its first West Coast location.
Caruso said he is optimistic that customers will return to the center, even though many Pacific Palisades residents are still dispersed. One tracking system estimated that about 30% of the Village’s customer base was impacted by the fire, he said.
“That means 70% did not get impacted, so there’s a lot of customers still left out there,” Caruso said. Historically, the center drew customers from as far away as Beverly Hills and Calabasas, as well as Malibu, Brentwood and Santa Monica.
He also hopes many will be inspired to visit the revived mall.
“I believe in the goodness of people and I believe that people are going to want to support the Palisades,” he said. “They’re going to want to be there and support the businesses that have had the courage and the heart to reopen.”
Walmart is rapidly expanding its network of electric vehicle chargers designed for customers to use while they shop.
The network could help fill gaps in EV infrastructure in states with greater need for chargers. Walmart, which has more than 5,000 locations in the U.S. and hundreds in California, says more than 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of one of its stores.
The chargers also offer an incentive for customers to choose Walmart — Walmart Plus members will receive a 10% discount off an average price of $0.46 per kilowatt-hour of energy at the company’s chargers.
Walmart chargers are already available at more than 75 locations in 17 states, with Texas boasting the most charging stations, followed by Florida and Arizona.
Matthew Nelson, Walmart’s director of energy policy, said last week on LinkedIn that the network will soon reach 29 states, including California.
“We are delivering on the promise of affordable, reliable and convenient charging,” Nelson said in his post.
According to Walmart’s website, six charging stations are coming to California soon, though the company did not offer a specific timeline.
The chargers will be installed at stores in Antelope, Brea, Fresno, Stockton, Suisun City and Vallejo.
Most charging sites in California will include eight to 16 fast-charging stalls, said Walmart spokesperson Kelsey Bohl.
The company first announced plans in April 2023 to install its own EV chargers at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, with a goal of installing thousands of chargers by 2030. Partnering with ABB E-Mobility and Alpitronic, it added 25 new charging sites this past May and six more in June.
“Walmart is building a leading retail-integrated EV fast-charging network, focused on delivering an affordable, reliable and convenient charging experience where customers already shop,” Bohl said in an emailed statement. “Customers can charge while they shop, access stations through the Walmart app they already use, and benefit from affordable pricing.”
The charging stations already available include 612 individual charging stalls using 400-kilowatt chargers. Each stall has a dual charging cord with both Combined Charging System and North American Charging Standard connectors. The standard connectors, designed by Tesla, are smaller and lighter than the combined systems.
The primary way to pay for the chargers is through the Walmart app, but the company is also experimenting with built-in credit card readers to allow those without the app to use the stations.
Customers can check charger availability on the Walmart app. The company said the chargers will be available 24 hours a day.
Robotaxis could be turning into robocops.
A self-driving Waymo reported two teens to San Mateo, Calif., police on Monday after they were found drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns in the back of the vehicle.
According to a social media post from the San Mateo Police Department, officers detained two 15-year-olds after the Waymo they were riding in contacted the department and stopped in a parking lot until law enforcement arrived.
“Parents do you know where your teens are?” the San Mateo Police Department wrote on Facebook following the incident. “Waymo does!”
Officers removed both teens from the vehicle and determined they were using toy guns to shoot Orbeez out the windows. Orbeez are small, water-absorbing beads sold at toy stores.
“Toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye,” the Police Department said. “The simple handling of them can cause fear in [passersby].” “
A video posted on Facebook shows at least five officers and a police dog responding to the scene and approaching the Waymo with their weapons raised.
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Waymo vehicles have internal cameras and microphones that may be used in an emergency or to “promote safety and security,” according to Waymo’s online support page.
The cameras are also used to ensure the vehicles are clean and to help find lost items, according to the support page.
The company said it does not use facial recognition or other biometric identification technologies to identify individuals.
“In more urgent circumstances, support may access live video during a trip,” the Waymo page said.
The San Mateo Police Department’s Facebook post has garnered nearly 60 comments, with one user accusing Waymo of “snitching.”
“At least they got a designated driver?!” one user commented.
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