Trump administration officials planned to declare 2.7 million living people dead, ex-SSA director alleges

A former executive at the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) alleges that the Trump administration considered a plan to falsely mark approximately 2.7 million living individuals as deceased. Jeremiah Schofield, who spent 25 years with the SSA, claims this initiative was part of immigration enforcement efforts and would have involved using highly sensitive government identity databases.

Schofield stated that he refused to participate in implementing the plan after agency legal counsel warned it could violate federal law. He asserts that a test analysis of the database revealed all included individuals were alive, comprising U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, including minors and the elderly. He specifically mentioned a widow receiving survivor benefits who was among those slated to be marked as deceased.

These claims are detailed in a 49-page disclosure sent to Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal. The document reportedly outlines how SSA data might have been targeted within the context of immigration policies. Schofield expressed concern over the potential misuse of government data, stating he decided to speak out due to the significant risk of abuse.

The SSA has contested the existence of a broad plan, stating that a more limited initiative involved approximately 6,100 individuals being added to the "Death Master File", a database used by financial institutions. Some individuals in this smaller group later contested their status and were reinstated. The agency emphasized that no list of 2.7 million names was added to the deceased registry and that robust data control procedures are in effect.