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By Aliss Higham and Daniel Orton
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President Donald Trump has insisted that he will not cut Social Security benefits.
Speaking to Fox News' Sean Hannity on Tuesday, Trump said: "Look, Social Security won't be touched, other than if there's fraud or something. It's going to be strengthened. But it won't be touched."
He also vowed there would be not cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. "None of that stuff is going to be touched," he said.
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But he added: "Now, if there are illegal migrants in the system, we're going to get them out."
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Why It Matters
Social Security benefits are a vital source of income for tens of millions of Americans.
An estimated 53 million retirees—roughly 16 percent of the population—were collecting monthly payments at the end of 2024.
Meanwhile, Medicaid is the largest program providing medical and health-related services to low-income individuals, and Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people aged 65 or older, and for some younger individuals with certain disabilities or conditions.
What To Know
Trump had previously sworn that he would not cut Social Security benefits, although there was confusion over some of his remarks.
In March last year, Trump told CNBC: "There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.
"And in terms of, also, the theft and the bad management of entitlements—tremendous bad management of entitlements—there's tremendous amounts of things and numbers of things you can do."
However, he told Breitbart days later: "I will never do anything that will jeopardize or hurt Social Security or Medicare. We'll have to do it elsewhere. But we're not going to do anything to hurt them.
"There's so many things we can do... there's so much cutting and so much waste in so many other areas, but I'll never do anything to hurt Social Security."
Trump also said in January this year that his administration would "love and cherish" Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
"We're not going to do anything with that, unless we can find some abuse or waste," he said. "The people won't be affected. It will only be more effective and better."
Several Democratic lawmakers, former government officials and advocacy groups have raised issues with Trump's handling of the Social Security Administration (SSA), which is responsible for paying benefits. It comes after confirmation from Elon Musk that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) officials would be conducting an audit.
Musk has claimed there is rampant fraud taking place at the SSA, including payments being made to millions of long-dead recipients, which has been widely disputed.
Last week, Musk reported that he was "100 percent certain that the magnitude of the fraud in federal entitlements... exceeds the combined sum of every private scam you've ever heard by FAR."
Last weekend, acting commissioner Michelle King—a 30-year veteran of the agency—resigned from her role over DOGE's alleged access to SSA data.
Meanwhile, Republicans are still considering cutting billions of dollars from Medicaid, which could jeopardize health care for the 80 million U.S. adults and children who rely on it.
Medicaid, which cost $880 billion in 2023, is mainly funded by federal taxpayers who contribute up to 80 percent of the expenses in some states.
To reduce costs, the GOP-controlled Congress is looking at implementing work requirements and potentially offering states a reduced, fixed-rate of funding.
What People Are Saying
Elon Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on February 17: "I love the people. We just want to fix the waste and fraud that is bankrupting the country. The scrutiny on me is extreme, so it's not like I could 'get away' with something, nor do I have any incentive to do so."
Martin O'Malley, the former SSA commissioner, said according to the The Washington Post: "At this rate, they [DOGE] will break it. And they will break it fast, and there will be an interruption of benefits."
What Happens Next
Any wholesale cut to Social Security benefits is unlikely. Despite its $1.5 trillion annual cost, the benefits are extremely popular with the American electorate.
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