Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, installed a Starlink Wi-Fi terminal at the White House in March – despite warnings from security officials that doing so could open the administration to potential data leak and espionage risks.

Under DOGE's instruction, the SSA made significant changes, including a 7,000-job workforce reduction and a new anti-fraud system.

Even before the blow-up between the billionaire entrepreneur and President Donald Trump, the cost-cutting group’s influence was waning.