Doge updates

From: allin

Antonio Gracias has taken a “Tour of Duty” from Valor to work within the government on the “Doge” agenda, specifically at the Social Security Administration (SSA) [00:01:59]. This role is in addition to his day job, requiring a 7-day, 68-hour work week [00:02:05]. His involvement became public after a New York Times story [00:02:27].

Mandate and Mission

Elon Musk suggested Gracias go to the SSA first to identify fraud, waste, and abuse, before potentially moving to the VA (Veterans Affairs) [00:03:17]. The primary mandate for the Doge team is to “figure out how to save some money” and “go find the fraud” within the system, as the country is projected to face bankruptcy by 2037 [00:04:43].

Gracias brought two professionals from Valor, John (an engineer) and Peyton (a finance ninja), to assist [00:03:56]. They joined an existing team, including Scott Couter, who was already working on the enumeration aspect of cleaning up the Social Security database [00:04:06].

Key Findings: Enumeration Beyond Entry

The team mapped the entire Social Security system from enumeration to office operations [00:05:19]. During this process, they discovered data labeled “enumeration Beyond entry,” which showed a dramatic increase in Social Security numbers (SSNs) issued. The baseline was typically 300,000-400,000 people per year, but this number surged to 2.1 million [00:05:39].

Social Security Numbers for Non-Citizens

Issuing SSNs to non-citizens is not inherently controversial. The Social Security number, created in 1936 to track citizen earnings, began being issued to non-citizens authorized to work in the U.S. in the 1990s to facilitate tax collection [00:06:24]. Legal immigrants, such as green card holders or those on visas, require an SSN to work and pay into Social Security and Medicare [00:06:36].

The controversial aspect of the “enumeration Beyond entry” data is the rapid growth since 2021, particularly after the COVID period [00:07:29]. This program, active since 2017, legitimately includes individuals like Afghan translators [00:08:00].

Abuse of Asylum Programs

The majority of the growth in SSN issuance was found to be related to asylum programs and individuals who received “notices to appear” (NTAs) after entering the country, mostly at the border [00:09:27].

• Quantity: Of the 5.4 million people in this data, 1.2 million had “unknown” status, and another 1.2 million were marked as “general parole” [00:09:43].
• Process Abuse: A legitimate asylum program was “abused” by super-opening the requirements [00:10:05]. The asylum form, previously four pages requiring proof of credible fear, was reduced to a four-question, “super leading” form [00:10:17].
• NTA Pathway: Individuals arriving at the border were often given NTAs, scheduling a court date up to six years in the future [00:11:36]. While waiting, they could file an asylum application (without an interview), then a Form 765 for work authorization, leading to an automatic SSN being mailed without further interview [00:11:53]. This process accounts for the majority of the growth [00:12:16].

Lack of Verification

There is “no real verification” in the process to prevent duplications or ensure identity [00:12:33].

• IDs: Some individuals showed IDs from their home countries (e.g., passports, driver’s licenses), but others did not [00:12:40].
• Birth Dates: The number one birth date found was January 1, occurring four times more often than any other day, suggesting unverified entries [00:12:58].
• Biometrics: While photos are taken, 23% of records lacked fingerprints [00:13:16]. Border Patrol and Protection reported the highest suicide rates during this surge, indicating they were overwhelmed [00:13:32].

Consequences of Unverified SSNs

The issuance of these SSNs has “important downstream consequences” [00:16:07]:

• Benefit Access: Every benefit program examined was being accessed by these individuals, with 1.3 million currently on Medicaid [00:14:11]. Many are “mooching,” taking from the system without contributing [00:17:18].
• Criminality: Data provided to the National Targeting Center revealed “hardheads,” “very bad people,” and individuals on terror watch lists within this group [00:17:22].
• Voter Registration and Voting: In a handful of “friendly states,” thousands of these individuals were found registered to vote, and many had actually voted [00:14:31]. This is a federal crime [00:15:08]. Antonio Gracias stated the number was “more than a thousand in just a couple of states,” calling it “shockingly bad” and “the tip of the iceberg” compared to the 7.8 million illegal immigrants tracked by ICE [00:15:31].

Voting Irregularities

It is possible to vote in some states without ID [01:42:46]. Only 15 states currently lack voter ID laws [01:42:54].

Data Integrity and Debunking Criticisms

Gracias addressed criticisms of his data, particularly from figures like Jim Chanos [01:18:14]. He explained that critics used “apples to oranges” comparisons, taking a chart that included all SSN enumerations (including legal entries like TN or EB-1 visas) and comparing it to his “enumeration Beyond entry” data, which focuses on a specific program that started in 2017 [01:18:42]. The person who initially posted the misleading chart on X (formerly Twitter) later deleted it and apologized [01:20:08].

Political & Social Implications

Antonio Gracias, a lifelong Democrat and former major donor to the Democratic party, emphasizes that this is not a political issue but a “human rights issue” [01:20:40]. He believes the policies of the prior administration were “evil” for creating incentives for human trafficking [01:29:06].

Human Trafficking

The system has inadvertently paid $13-$15 billion annually to human traffickers [01:26:37]. This “money magnet” attracts people, many of whom die en route or are sold into slavery and abused at the border [01:26:42]. People pay anywhere from $500to$20,000 to traffickers [01:27:18].

While some speculate about a Democratic party motive to increase their voter base, Gracias states that the data shows the prior administration set all defaults to “max open” with no ID requirements [01:29:16]. He believes average Democrats are unaware of these policies [01:29:53].

Future Outlook

The immediate goal for the Doge team is to identify “who’s who” [01:31:24]:

1. Criminals
2. Terrorists
3. People “mooching off the system”
4. A political question remains for those who are working and contributing [01:31:28].

Gracias also suggested that publicly releasing the list of people who illegally voted, given to organizations like the Heritage Foundation, would “put sunlight on it” [01:33:02]. The team’s primary motive is to “follow the truth” and the data will lead them [01:37:44].# Doge Updates

Antonio Gracias has taken a “Tour of Duty” from Valor to work within the government on the “Doge” agenda, specifically at the Social Security Administration (SSA) [00:01:59]. This role is in addition to his day job, requiring a 7-day, 68-hour work week [00:02:05]. His involvement became public after a New York Times story [00:02:27].

Mandate and Mission

Elon Musk suggested Gracias go to the SSA first to identify fraud, waste, and abuse, before potentially moving to the VA (Veterans Affairs) [00:03:17]. The primary mandate for the Doge team is to “figure out how to save some money” and “go find the fraud” within the system, as the country is projected to face bankruptcy by 2037 [00:04:43].

Gracias brought two professionals from Valor, John (an engineer) and Peyton (a finance ninja), to assist [00:03:56]. They joined an existing team, including Scott Couter, who was already working on the enumeration aspect of cleaning up the Social Security database [00:04:06].

Key Findings: Enumeration Beyond Entry

The team mapped the entire Social Security system from enumeration to office operations [00:05:19]. During this process, they discovered data labeled “enumeration Beyond entry,” which showed a dramatic increase in Social Security numbers (SSNs) issued. The baseline was typically 300,000-400,000 people per year, but this number surged to 2.1 million [00:05:39].

Social Security Numbers for Non-Citizens

Issuing SSNs to non-citizens is not inherently controversial. The Social Security number, created in 1936 to track citizen earnings, began being issued to non-citizens authorized to work in the U.S. in the 1990s to facilitate tax collection [00:06:24]. Legal immigrants, such as green card holders or those on visas, require an SSN to work and pay into Social Security and Medicare [00:06:36].

The controversial aspect of the “enumeration Beyond entry” data is the rapid growth since 2021, particularly after the COVID period [00:07:29]. This program, active since 2017, legitimately includes individuals like Afghan translators [00:08:00].

Abuse of Asylum Programs

The majority of the growth in SSN issuance was found to be related to asylum programs and individuals who received “notices to appear” (NTAs) after entering the country, mostly at the border [00:09:27].

• Quantity: Of the 5.4 million people in this data, 1.2 million had “unknown” status, and another 1.2 million were marked as “general parole” [00:09:43].
• Process Abuse: A legitimate asylum program was “abused” by super-opening the requirements [00:10:05]. The asylum form, previously four pages requiring proof of credible fear, was reduced to a four-question, “super leading” form [00:10:17].
• NTA Pathway: Individuals arriving at the border were often given NTAs, scheduling a court date up to six years in the future [00:11:36]. While waiting, they could file an asylum application (without an interview), then a Form 765 for work authorization, leading to an automatic SSN being mailed without further interview [00:11:53]. This process accounts for the majority of the growth [00:12:16].

Lack of Verification

There is “no real verification” in the process to prevent duplications or ensure identity [00:12:33].

• IDs: Some individuals showed IDs from their home countries (e.g., passports, driver’s licenses), but others did not [00:12:40].
• Birth Dates: The number one birth date found was January 1, occurring four times more often than any other day, suggesting unverified entries [01:13:00].
• Biometrics: While photos are taken, 23% of records lacked fingerprints [00:13:16]. Border Patrol and Protection reported the highest suicide rates during this surge, indicating they were overwhelmed [00:13:32].

Consequences of Unverified SSNs

The issuance of these SSNs has “important downstream consequences” [00:16:07]:

• Benefit Access: Every benefit program examined was being accessed by these individuals, with 1.3 million currently on Medicaid [00:14:11]. Many are “mooching,” taking from the system without contributing [00:17:18].
• Criminality: Data provided to the National Targeting Center revealed “hardheads,” “very bad people,” and individuals on terror watch lists within this group [00:17:22].
• Voter Registration and Voting: In a handful of “friendly states,” thousands of these individuals were found registered to vote, and many had actually voted [00:14:31]. This is a federal crime [00:15:08]. Antonio Gracias stated the number was “more than a thousand in just a couple of states,” calling it “shockingly bad” and “the tip of the iceberg” compared to the 7.8 million illegal immigrants tracked by ICE [00:15:31].

Voting Irregularities

It is possible to vote in some states without ID [01:42:46]. Only 15 states currently lack voter ID laws [01:42:54].

Data Integrity and Debunking Criticisms

Gracias addressed criticisms of his data, particularly from figures like Jim Chanos [01:18:14]. He explained that critics used “apples to oranges” comparisons, taking a chart that included all SSN enumerations (including legal entries like TN or EB-1 visas) and comparing it to his “enumeration Beyond entry” data, which focuses on a specific program that started in 2017 [01:18:42]. The person who initially posted the misleading chart on X (formerly Twitter) later deleted it and apologized [01:20:08].

Political & Social Implications

Antonio Gracias, a lifelong Democrat and former major donor to the Democratic party, emphasizes that this is not a political issue but a “human rights issue” [01:20:40]. He believes the policies of the prior administration were “evil” for creating incentives for human trafficking [01:29:06].

Human Trafficking

The system has inadvertently paid $13-$15 billion annually to human traffickers [01:26:37]. This “money magnet” attracts people, many of whom die en route or are sold into slavery and abused at the border [01:26:42]. People pay anywhere from $500to$20,000 to traffickers [01:27:18].

While some speculate about a Democratic party motive to increase their voter base, Gracias states that the data shows the prior administration set all defaults to “max open” with no ID requirements [01:29:16]. He believes average Democrats are unaware of these policies [01:29:53].

Future Outlook

The immediate goal for the Doge team is to identify “who’s who” [01:31:24]:

1. Criminals
2. Terrorists
3. People “mooching off the system”
4. A political question remains for those who are working and contributing [01:31:28].

Gracias also suggested that publicly releasing the list of people who illegally voted, given to organizations like the Heritage Foundation, would “put sunlight on it” [01:33:02]. The team’s primary motive is to “follow the truth” and the data will lead them [01:37:44].