Dead, Babies, Toddlers and Time Travelers

A recent survey shared by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) revealed large-scale irregularities in federal unemployment insurance claims, including payouts to individuals with birthdates decades into the future, as well as those listed as toddlers or over 115 years old.

The data, posted on X by the official DOGE account, highlighted what it described as the “initial survey of Unemployment Insurance claims since 2020.” According to the findings, tens of thousands of claims were submitted under identities that raise immediate red flags.

The DOGE post specified that the survey uncovered:

• 24,500 people listed as being over 115 years old who received approximately $59 million in benefits,
• 28,000 people between 1 and 5 years old who received $254 million in benefits,
• and 9,700 individuals with birthdates more than 15 years in the future who received $69 million in benefits.

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The post also pointed to a specific example: “In one case, someone with a birthday in 2154 claimed $41k.”

An initial survey of Unemployment Insurance claims since 2020 revealed the following:
– 24.5k people over 115 years old claimed $59M in benefits
– 28k people between 1 and 5 years old claimed $254M in benefits
– 9.7k people with birth dates over 15 years in the future claimed…

— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) April 10, 2025

Responding to the report, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer told Fox News Digital, “This is another incredible discovery by the DOGE team, finding nearly $400 million in fraudulent unemployment payments. The Labor Department is committed to recovering Americans’ stolen tax dollars. We will catch these thieves and keep working to root out egregious fraud — accountability is here.”

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DOGE was launched to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government.

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has taken a leading role in the initiative, responded to the findings with disbelief.

“Your tax dollars were going to pay fraudulent unemployment claims for fake people born in the future! This is so crazy that I had to read it several times before it sank in,” Musk wrote on X.

Your tax dollars were going to pay fraudulent unemployment claims for fake people born in the future!

This is so crazy that I had to read it several times before it sank in. https://t.co/U5qqcyUgzo

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2025

In another post, Musk added, “The oldest living American is 114 years old, so it is safe to say that anyone 115 or older is collecting ‘unemployment’ due to being dead. There was no sanity check for impossibly young or impossibly old people for unemployment insurance.”

The oldest living American is 114 years old, so it is safe to say that anyone 115 or older is collecting “unemployment” due to being dead.

There was no sanity check for impossibly young or impossibly old people for unemployment insurance. https://t.co/UjlBk2KQIu

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2025

Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah replied directly to Musk’s post with a brief assessment: “Reckless incompetence.”

Reckless incompetence

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) April 10, 2025

The federal unemployment system saw a dramatic increase in claims starting in 2020 as pandemic-related economic disruptions led to a surge in jobless benefits.

The emergency response included expanded eligibility and increased payouts, but also drew scrutiny for its vulnerability to fraud.

The DOGE findings are expected to prompt further reviews of unemployment benefit data and may lead to additional investigations.

The Department of Labor has indicated that efforts to recover misused funds are ongoing.

No official timeline has been announced for when accountability actions or recoveries might be completed.

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