The database includes millions of Americans who are probably dead but who have no death records. But they generally don’t collect checks, as Musk and Trump suggest.

When people think of Social Security, they typically think of monthly benefits — for the roughly 69 million retirees, disabled workers, dependents and survivors who receive them today.

The acting Social Security Commissioner released a statement that the agency will uphold SSA's history of protecting benefits and data amid concerns about DOGE access.