Schumer is trying to fire up the Democrat base but it still isn’t working.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently took aim at tech mogul Elon Musk after the billionaire made controversial claims about widespread fraud in the Social Security system. Musk, in an interview with Fox Business, argued that as many as 20 million “dead” people are still receiving benefits, raising concerns about the integrity of the program. Schumer quickly seized on the remarks, accusing Musk of echoing a larger Republican push to cut Social Security and Medicare.

Musk’s comments about fraud within Social Security, which he called the “biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” have sparked a wave of backlash. Schumer described Musk’s statements as part of a broader Republican agenda to attack entitlement programs that millions of Americans depend on. According to Schumer, Musk’s criticisms are merely a tactic to create the illusion that Social Security is wasteful and rife with fraud—setting the stage for potential cuts.

Musk’s critique echoed his previous remarks about government spending. He suggested that the government should cut between $500 billion and $700 billion in waste, specifically targeting Social Security as a major source of unnecessary spending. He even claimed that 20 million dead people are still on the rolls, a claim that was quickly disputed by the Social Security Administration. The SSA’s own inspector general reported that improper payments accounted for just 0.8 percent of total benefits from 2015 to 2022, a far smaller amount than Musk suggested.

While critics argue Musk is distorting the facts, his remarks underscore a longstanding Republican effort to scale back entitlement programs. Schumer condemned Musk for misrepresenting the facts and warned that such rhetoric could pave the way for cuts to vital benefits. He made it clear that seniors and retirees should not be misled or have their earned benefits threatened by false claims of fraud and abuse.