WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Rick Scott, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Senator Ron Johnson, Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to the Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Leland Dudek, asking for detailed information on the total amount of fraudulent or wasteful spending by the SSA, as well as what steps are being taken to address these issues to ensure tax dollars are protected and Social Security benefits are preserved for those who rely on this critical program.
This letter follows a February 2025 report by the SSA Office of Inspector General (OIG) showing more than $32 billion in improper overpayments between 2020 and 2023, many of which were made due to beneficiaries failing to report critical information, or benefits being paid to deceased individuals. In addition, a July 2024 OIG report also revealed more than $71 billion in improper payments from SSA between 2015 and 2022, showing a concerning pattern in the agency making wasteful payments that warrants immediate action.
Read the full letter HERE.
Dear Acting Commissioner Dudek:
In 2023, the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) was responsible for paying benefits to more than 71 million Americans.[1] A February 2025 report by the SSA Office of Inspector General (SSA OIG) suggests that SSA is routinely plagued by improper overpayments.[2] As the chairmen of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging (“Aging Committee”) and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (“PSI”), we are committed to protecting and preserving the benefits of Social Security for all Americans both now and for generations to come. We write to request information on the total amount of fraudulent or wasteful spending by SSA, as well as what steps are being taken to address these issues.
According to the February 20, 2025, SSA OIG report, between 2020 and 2023, SSA improperly paid out more than $32 billion in benefit overpayments.[3] The report states that overpayments occurred for a variety of reasons, ranging from beneficiaries’ failures to report information, such as incarceration, to benefits being paid out to deceased individuals.[4]
The OIG’s February 2025 report is but the latest in what appears to be a repeating pattern of SSA failing to prevent wasteful and fraudulent payments. In a July 2024 report, the SSA OIG determined that between 2015 and 2022, SSA made more than $71 billion in improper payments.[5] The SSA OIG’s report also found that SSA was not taking the steps necessary to address and prevent this “longstanding challenge.”[6] Specifically, the SSA OIG noted that SSA needed to adopt better automation and data analytics tools, as well as access additional data sources, in order to prevent improper payments.[7] Given the repeated issues around improper payments by SSA, it is unclear what, if any, steps have been taken to address the problem.
It is essential that the SSA take aggressive action to stop waste, fraud, and abuse, and make it a priority to clearly communicate the scope and success of this work to the hardworking American people who fund these programs and the vital benefits they provide to our elderly and disabled citizens.
To better understand what steps the SSA is taking to prevent overpayments and to recover those payments without overly burdening the most vulnerable in our society, we ask that you provide the following information:
We look forward to your prompt response and working together to protect and preserve the benefits of Social Security for generations to come.
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