Thousands of federal workers are out of a job, and further cuts are expected. Meanwhile, a federal judge has blocked the firings.

Billionaire Elon Musk has said there is widespread fraud taking place in the payment of "federal entitlements" like Social Security. Social Security benefits are paid to more than 70 million Americans on a monthly basis, and help form the bedrock of income for many retirees, survivors of deceased claimants and disabled people.

Elon Musk indicated that a Social Security database lists millions of centenarians "with the death field set to FALSE."

Government computer systems are full of legacy quirks, and upgrading and updating them is a huge and often-fraught endeavor.

The Trump administration claimed the Social Security Administration gives payments to dead people. SSA audits revealed it happens less than suspected.