With Swagger, DOGE Approaches the Third Rail

It would be political suicide to attempt to eliminate Social Security by an act of Congress or an executive order. But it can be cut down, a check at a time, a service at a time. Every disability application that gets delayed for months, every address change that doesn’t register, all the little problems that are likely to multiply with the DOGE cuts will become part of Musk’s argument that the system is unworkable and should be privatized. Opportunities for fraud will skyrocket with these dramatic staff cuts, again reducing confidence in the system.

Lambert here: The neoliberal playbook.