DOGE Plans to Rebuild SSA Codebase In Months, Risking Benefits and System Collapse

[demmiblue]

Source: Wired

Social Security systems contain tens of millions of lines of code written in COBOL, an archaic programming language. Safely rewriting that code would take years—DOGE wants it done in months.

The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is starting to put together a team to migrate the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) computer systems entirely off one of its oldest programming languages in a matter of months, potentially putting the integrity of the system—and the benefits on which tens of millions of Americans rely—at risk.

The project is being organized by Elon Musk lieutenant Steve Davis, multiple sources who were not given permission to talk to the media tell WIRED, and aims to migrate all SSA systems off COBOL, one of the first common business-oriented programming languages, and onto a more modern replacement like Java within a scheduled tight timeframe of a few months.

Under any circumstances, a migration of this size and scale would be a massive undertaking, experts tell WIRED, but the expedited deadline runs the risk of obstructing payments to the more than 65 million people in the US currently receiving Social Security benefits.

“Of course one of the big risks is not underpayment or overpayment per se but [it’s also] not paying someone at all and not knowing about it. The invisible errors and omissions,” an SSA technologist tells WIRED.


Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/doge-rebuild-social-security-administration-cobol-benefits/

[Wingus Dingus]

1. This is why the commerce secretary was telling us it was no big deal if his

mother in law missed a payment, she would just patiently wait. They're going to kick people out of the system and make them beg and prove their earnings.

[Miguelito Loveless]

10. Exactly

That's the plan.

Break everything.

[FakeNoose]

2. This needs to be STOPPED!

Immediately. Get unelected Elon Musk out of our government NOW!

[Miguelito Loveless]

11. Not going to happen

Dems voted for the continuing resolution without any provision to stop DOGE. They in essence enabled Musk. They passed the CR knowing full well that Musk would keep doing what he is doing. The Republicans voted for it knowing that any spending they didn't like would be sent into the Musk chainsaw.

[dutch777]

3. Chaos in SS should be a real boon for the Dems for 2026. Sad for seniors and others relying on it. Bumper sticker...

"Trump and DOGE are wrecking your Social Security". It is dumb though that major programs rely on these archaic legacy systems and have not been addressed over the years. FAA has similar issues. Even the airlines and other private industries suffer from this.

[Miguelito Loveless]

12. 2026 is not going to save us.

The Orange Regime is even now curtailing voting rights. And if they still lose, they will declare the elections fraudulent. Out last chance was November. The results were 34% for fascism, 33% against, and 33% didn't care enough to vote.

[33taw]

4. I think we all need to get benefit verification documents to keep on hand.

Just writing a plan to do this would take months.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Here's the question: why? Why should a system that has worked almost flawlessly for decades be

replaced? What's the cost savings to develop new code? I've watched businesses and my university spend years and millions of dollars to replace COBOL systems with JAVA or a pre-written, "customizable" package. The reason DOGE is so gun-ho to change the programming language is because they don't know COBOL well enough to put in their backdoor money siphoning code.

[Miguelito Loveless]

14. Why?

Because it worked.

[Strelnikov_]

18. As you note, it's all about the backdoors

[Bayard]

19. Agreed

If something works well, they must break it. They probably can't even read old COBOL code.

[pimpbot]

21. bingo!

Where is the problem statement? What do taxpayers gain from this? Is there an issue/problem with the current system?

Upgrades for the sake of upgrades is a waste of money and time.

I'm sure there is a project somewhere within SSA to look at modernizing the system. Its probably an unfunded project considering how the GOP has starved our federal agencies over the last four decades. Typically they will re-platform these types of systems onto a mainframe emulator running on modern hardware. Concerns about failing hardware that cannot be repaired or replaced are valid.

Refactoring the code to a modern framework is a larger and more complex task. Whatever the dogebros come up with will fail. Just look at the half baked software pretty much every company releases these days.

[sinkingfeeling]

22. Have you any experience with an IBM Z16? Just move it to a newer, more powerful, and faster mainframe. The

Z17 will be released this year.

[FormerOstrich]

6. Java?

I've exceeded my Wired article limit so I couldn't read the entire article.

I thought Java (programming language) was on the decline. Applications for SSA would need scalability over portability.

I assume Java implies an Oracle database....

I wouldn't trust Musk's kiddies to write an enterprise application of any size, much less SSA. Agile I suppose. They will bore of the project and the daily standup's.

[William Seger]

9. Agile

Agile methodology is what convinced me to retire from software development.

[littlemissmartypants]

13. Here...

Is a link from the archive:

https://12ft.io/proxy

For future reference you can search for archived articles or even archive your own links here:

https://www.archivebuttons.com/

❤️

[FormerOstrich]

23. Thank you so much! n/t

[littlemissmartypants]

24. My pleasure, FormerOstrich. ❤️

[DBoon]

20. Oracle sounds about right

Larry Ellison is a MAGAt

Oracle is known for pushing large public sector software re-engineering projects, which inevitable fail but leave Oracle with lots of money.

[William Seger]

7. Preposterous!

Just to understand what needs to be done, current system analysis will take longer than a few months! And the first iteration will almost certainly miss a lot. I think it's safe to say these DOGE boy-geniuses have never working on anything nearly as large and complicated as the SS system, and they're making ridiculously optimistic estimates of what it will take. The best case scenario (for the country) is that they get bogged down for years without being able to finish it. Worst case is that they just throw up a bunch of crap to meet a deadline, and not care about who gets hurt.

[Miguelito Loveless]

15. All true, but irrelevant

The point of them working on the system is to break it irreparably.

When the money stops flowing what will the elderly and the disabled do? March on Washington and riot?

No. They will call their reps, who, if they are Dems, can do nothing, and if they are MAGA, will not answer the phone.

Again, to quote a wise alien, "When the avalanche has started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote."

[Miguelito Loveless]

8. Can't be any harder than autonomous driving, right?

Musk solved that with ease.

Oh, hang on....

[Silent Type]

16. Honestly, I don't doubt the SSA system needs extensive upgrade. Doubt they can do it in a few months, but assuming they

test the system adequately, I'm not particularly worried.

But I'm sure podcasters will go out of their way to scare everyone dependent upon SS, hoping for viewers.

[DBoon]

17. JFC!!!

The Los Angeles Unified School District tried something similar with its payroll system in 2006. The result was a highly publicized debacle

While it is almost impossible to directly fire public employees, somehow everyone in a management position associated with this was out of a job in 2 years.

Sounds like DOGE is trying to recreate this disaster on a national scale.

Unfortunately all links to the 2006 LAUSD story are with the LA Times, which I no longer subscribe to

[camartinwv]

25. This will be a total disaster. I have been on the front row of attempts to replace large, complex COBOL systems before

With the arrogant, overconfident goal of replacing, a few months, a huge old system that has been developed and tweaked over a 50 year timeframe. They won’t even bother to spend the time required to nail down the business rules that they will need to design, develop, test and implement such a system. I worked in IT for 40 years primarily designing and developing COBOL systems and leading production support teams. I have watched this scenario play out with disastrous results several times.

“Move fast and break things” is Elon’s motto. It will be his and the social security system’s undoing and the beneficiaries will suffer greatly. I live on social security. While these idiots are breaking things, I will lose my house and 3 dogs and live in my car while they discover the rest of that iceberg they haven’t bothered to investigate.

[no_hypocrisy]

26. IOW, delete the files

[Aviation Pro]

27. I kind of fucking doubt the fucking South African knows

What ADDIE stands for much less his pimple faced virgins.