The post 2008 financial shock, by necessity, required governments create massive piles of cash to sustain the economy, especially if they were not going to bail out holders of home mortgages. Turning cash over to finance kept the economy humming,

As billionaire Trump advisor Elon Musk continues to fire staff, cancel contracts, and eliminate office leases across the federal government, retirees, Social Security advocates, and Democratic politicians are fretting about what could happen to the agency that delivers cash benefits to some 73 million Americans each month—one charged with paying out $1.

Elon Musk recently stirred debate by suggesting that millions of deceased Americans are still receiving Social Security benefits. However, experts in public policy and economics argue that Musk's claims are based on a misunderstanding of the data.