Topline
The Trump administration resisted a judge’s request for the acting head of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to testify at a hearing Tuesday, as the court considers the White House’s practice of adding immigrants who are still alive to the agency’s “master death list” as part of its deliberations on whether to block Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Social Security data.
A Social Security Administration (SSA) office in Washington, DC, on March 26.
Key Facts
U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander is holding a hearing Tuesday over whether to extend her ruling blocking DOGE officials from accessing any SSA data that isn’t anonymous and identifies Americans’ information.
The labor groups challenging the Trump administration have asked Hollander to take into account recent news reports suggesting the White House is adding thousands of immigrants’ names to the agency’s “master death list,” which is used to identify dead Americans and cut off their benefits, in an effort to pressure them to “self-deport”—as they’ll now be unable to receive benefits, and could face further consequences like being denied the ability to open a bank account or apply for jobs.
Hollander said in a letter she’ll only consider Tuesday what impact the “master death list” issue has on the existing concerns about DOGE accessing SSA data—rather than whether DOGE is violating her ruling by reportedly helping add names to that list—but asked SSA Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek to appear at the hearing to clarify what the agency is doing with the death records.
In a letter to the court late Monday, the Trump administration said Dudek will not appear at the hearing as requested, saying the government decided it will “stand on the record in its current form” after considering the evidence presented to the court and “the demands on the Acting Commissioner’s time.”
What To Watch For
The court hearing in the Social Security case is taking place Tuesday morning, and it’s unclear how Hollander could rule or if she’ll chastise the government for not having Dudek appear. Her order temporarily blocking DOGE from accessing SSA data is set to expire Thursday, so it’s likely she’ll rule either Tuesday or in the coming days whether to extend that block for the foreseeable future as the litigation plays out.
What Is The Social Security Agency’s “master Death List”?
The SSA maintains a list of Americans with Social Security numbers who have died that dates back to 1936, which former Social Security official Tiffany Fink said in a letter to the court contained 141 million names as of 2023. The list is used to cut off dead Americans’ access to Social Security benefits, but is also more broadly shared with other federal agencies, ensuring that people stop receiving all government benefits when they die. The Department of Commerce also sells a more limited version of the list to private companies, such as banks, Fink noted, so that it can be used to prevent fraud, such as ensuring people applying for bank accounts aren’t applying under the name of someone who’s already deceased. That means there are “severe” consequences if someone accidentally gets added to the list who’s not actually dead, Fink noted, as it would likely mean that not only would they be denied Social Security benefits or other government benefits like Medicare or Medicaid, but they could also be prevented from applying for jobs, have their bank accounts canceled or getting a drivers license. DOGE’s adding of names to the death list has sparked fears that the government could add people to it accidentally who are still alive and are either citizens or immigrants who shouldn’t be targeted for deportation, and The New York Times notes accidentally being added to the list can “take months to fix, if not longer.”
Key Background
The debate over DOGE accessing Social Security systems comes after DOGE and Musk reportedly trained their sights on the Social Security agency. While Musk has long claimed he does not want to impact Americans’ benefits at all, the billionaire has made repeated claims of widespread fraud in the Social Security system, despite data showing that any issues within Social Security are much more limited than he claims. Musk’s claims have led to issues with wait times for Americans’ calls to the agency to reportedly skyrocket as DOGE has led cuts within the agency, though SSA ultimately rescinded a plan to cut phone service at the agency amid public outcry. The changes have led to fears among sources within and outside the agency that DOGE’s cuts could destabilize Social Security’s infrastructure and affect Americans’ benefits, with Biden-era SSA chief warning CNBC in February, “Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits.” DOGE’s reported attempt to use the SSA’s “death list” to target immigrants comes as part of a reported broader plan by the Trump administration to use various government agencies and their data as part of its mass deportation efforts. The Washington Post reported Tuesday the Trump administration is broadly using protected government data to target immigrants, also working on a plan that would ban immigrants from accessing public housing if their households are “mixed status,” meaning some residents are in the U.S. legally while others are undocumented.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/04/15/trump-administration-wont-let-acting-social-security-head-testify-about-adding-immigrants-to-master-death-list/