A few points:
1) I think Mookie is correct on the
Social Security (SS, here) ALLEGATION about so many over the age of 110 getting Social Security payments. I did some digging (my investigation) and learned that these allegations are based on how the data is stored in (basically) old data bases that is NOT worth the time and effort and money needed to update such things. There is NO real evidence of this situation resulting in MILLIONS or BILLIONS of SS dollars sent to DEAD people. When the actual official date of death was not known, a date, like 1/1/1895 was used. Now there are likely a FEW (thousand? or hundred? dozen?) cases of dead people still receiving SS benefits as their children or caretakers TRY to commit Fraud. I do not know much about Fraud investigation by SSA.
I did go to a pre-retirement information session and I am rather sure from the information presented there that the SSA know things about those who are over 100 years old and how they are doing. The man giving information/presentation said he was tasked on meeting, in person, ALL those over 90 in VA. There were TOO many, so he started with the dozens (or so, as I best recall) who were over 100 to learn about them and get their feedback.
As I heard Trump make those allegations of dead people receiving SS Payments, I knew that those were very likely LIES and more of the typical hyperbole by Trump. ConfedSS, please read at the bottom of this post to learn more on this.
2) I think Elon Musk is looking for easy finds ("low hanging fruit") and is doing CUTS quickly and TOO expeditiously. Musk (and thus Trump) are using a chain saw (or "meat cleaver") when more careful use of a surgical knife is actually needed. There have been at least two instances of folks being FIRED then being asked to return because DOGE realized that these folks were actually VITAL and doing needed and important tasks. Those nuclear oversight people come to mind. (a few details below)
And many of the cuts are being challenged in the Courts, and the Supreme Court, yesterday by a 5-4 vote, issued a decision that limits the some of the Trump Cuts.
Here is why such cuts have NOT been done so far, by previous Administrations:
A) opposition in the Courts (lawsuits), and
B) so much outcry from those impacted.
How much "political capital," effort, time, and energy will Trump and his Administration expend for many of these cuts?
When any
SOCIAL program is proposed for a CUT (or more likely these days, a reduction in the INCREASE of benefits and payments), the Liberals in Congress and the Media, find those poor victims who would suffer "life threatening" cuts. They play on the sympathy of Americans. Any changes to Social Security is labeled as "cutting payments to Grandma so she cannot buy food..."
When there were proposed cuts to the Super Sonic Transport (SST) and to the rival to the LHC by CERN (to have been built in Texas), there was large outcry by government contractors and local governments who would benefit from the Federal largesse.
Closing Military bases bring out similar outcry. Read about BRAC (The first BRAC round was authorized in 1988 by Public Law 100-526).
3) There is NO doubt that most thinking people see and understand the need to make some cuts in the Federal budget, workforce, programs, and bureacracy. Where to make the cuts is the TOUGH question.
And DO NOT DARE TOUCH my ...."sacred cowS" yes PLURAL for most; to name only a few: Science (NSF), CPB, the Arts, Green Energy, infrastructure, grants to my local and favorite non-profit, a place that MAY in the near future hire my granddaugher (heard by me very recently from a local politician), the local Military base, National Parks and their Park Rangers, Veterans of the military, and ON and ON and ON......
4) I think that Elon Musk buying Twitter and going to those online, like Joe Rogan, were moves that helped turn his 2020 loss into victory in 2024. Trump used internet communication very well in 2016, perhaps got overconfident in 2020, and then got really deterimined to "mine" and find better internet means of reaching likely and possible Trump supporters in 2024.
5) I do not care about Transgenic mice. Mookie may have an insight of why Trump even mentioned this.
Evidence:
US government tries to rehire nuclear staff it fired days ago (18 February 2025)
The US government is trying to rehire nuclear safety employees it had fired on Thursday, after concerns grew that their dismissal could jeopardise national security, US media reported.
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) workers were among hundreds of employees in the energy department who received termination letters.
The department is responsible for designing, building and overseeing the US nuclear weapons stockpile.
The terminations are part of a massive effort by President Donald Trump to slash the ranks of the federal workforce, a project he began on his first day in office, less than a month ago.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g3nrx1dq5oConfedSS, please read:
There are millions of people over age 100 in the Social Security Administration’s database, but the vast majority aren’t receiving benefits.
Inspectors general at the agency have repeatedly identified the issue, but the Social Security Administration has argued that updating old records is costly and unnecessary.
An SSA IG report from 2023 showed 18.9 million people listed as 100 years or older — but not dead — were in the database. But “almost none” currently receive SSA payments.
The SSA’s inspector general also found in a report released in July that from 2015 to 2022, only 0.84% of benefits payments were improper. That 0.84% of improper benefits payments totaled $71.8 billion over eight years. <<enlarged via edit 3/7/25, JP The report also says most of the improper payments were overpayments — not payments to dead people or people who didn’t qualify.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fact-checking-trumps-speech-congress-rcna194819and:
https://apnews.com/article/social-security-payments-deceased-false-claims-doge-ed2885f5769f368853ac3615b4852cf7Tens of millions of dead people aren’t getting Social Security checks, despite Trump and Musk claims
ConfederateSS.out!(The Blue and Silver Rebellion)... 
