Government Says It Did Not Lie About Death Records
Government Says It Did Not Lie About Death Records
政府稱死亡記錄並未造假
Introduction
The Social Security Administration (SSA) says it did not lie. Some people say the SSA tried to say millions of living people were dead to help the police find immigrants.
社會安全局（SSA）表示其並未撒謊。但有人指稱 SSA 試圖將數百萬名生存者列為死亡，以協助警方緝捕移民。
Main Body
Jeremiah Schofield worked at the SSA. He says a group called DOGE told the SSA to change records. They wanted to say 2.7 million people were dead. This would stop their bank accounts and money. Then, these people would leave the country or go to the police.
Jeremiah Schofield 曾在 SSA 工作。他表示一個名為 DOGE 的組織要求 SSA 修改紀錄。他們希望將 270 萬人列為死亡。這將導致他們的銀行帳戶與資金被凍結。隨後，這些人將會離開該國或前往警方處。
Some SSA workers said no. They said this is against the law. But in April 2025, the government said 6,000 people were dead by mistake. These people were not dead. They had to go to government offices to fix the problem.
部分 SSA 員工表示拒絕。他們稱此舉違法。但在 2025 年 4 月，政府表示有 6,000 人被誤列為死亡。這些人實際上並未死亡。他們必須前往政府辦公室解決此問題。
Some leaders are very angry. They say the government used records as a weapon. The SSA says their records are correct. Other government workers say they share information to keep people safe.
部分領導人感到非常憤怒。他們指責政府將紀錄當作武器使用。SSA 則堅稱其紀錄正確。其他政府雇員則表示，分享資訊是為了確保人們的安全。
Conclusion
The SSA says they did not change the records for 2.7 million people.
SSA 表示他們並未為 270 萬人修改紀錄。
Vocabulary Learning
⚡ The Power of 'SAY'
In this story, the word say is used everywhere. For an A2 learner, this is the most important word for reporting information.
1. Simple Reporting
- The SSA says... → This is how we introduce a fact or an opinion.
- People say... → This is how we talk about rumors or general beliefs.
2. The Past Version When the story moves to the past, say changes to said.
- Some workers said no.
- The government said 6,000 people were dead.
3. Different ways to use it
- SAY + [Person] "He says a group told the SSA..."
- SAY + [That] "They say (that) the government used records..."
Quick Guide: Present Say/Says Past Said
Vocabulary Learning
Claims that Social Security Death Records Were Falsified for Immigration Control
有指控稱社會安全局死亡記錄被偽造以進行移民管控
Introduction
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has denied reports that it tried to wrongly list millions of living people as dead to help immigration authorities.
社會安全局 (SSA) 否認了有關其試圖將數百萬名生存者錯誤列為死亡以協助移民當局的報導。
Main Body
The issue began with a report from Jeremiah Schofield, a former senior official at the SSA. Schofield claimed that members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a group linked to Elon Musk, pressured the SSA to change the Death Master File. He asserted that the goal was to mark about 2.7 million people as deceased. Consequently, these people would have been removed from the financial system, causing their bank accounts to be frozen and their public benefits to stop. This would force them to leave the country or go to government offices where they could be detained.
此事始於 SSA 前高級官員 Jeremiah Schofield 的一份報告。Schofield 聲稱與 Elon Musk 相關的政府效率部 (DOGE) 成員向 SSA 施壓，要求修改死亡主檔案。他主張其目標是將約 270 萬人標記為已故。因此，這些人將被移出金融系統，導致其銀行帳戶被凍結且公共福利停止。這將迫使他們離開國家或前往政府辦公室，而屆時他們可能會被拘留。
However, some staff and lawyers within the SSA resisted these plans, emphasizing that such actions would break the Privacy Act and internal rules. Despite these warnings, the report states that a smaller operation took place in April 2025. This resulted in over 6,000 people being wrongly listed as dead based on a list from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The agency had to fix these errors after the affected individuals visited local offices.
然而，SSA 內部的一些員工和律師抵制了這些計劃，強調此類行動將違反《隱私法》和內部規定。儘管有這些警告，報告指出 2025 年 4 月仍進行了一次較小規模的操作。這導致超過 6,000 人根據國土安全部 (DHS) 的名單被錯誤列為死亡。在受影響人士造訪當地辦公室後，該機構才修正了這些錯誤。
Opinions on the matter are divided. Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren described these actions as a misuse of federal records and asked for more information about DOGE's access to data. On the other hand, the SSA maintains that its internal systems are secure and denies that the 2.7 million-person list was ever used. Meanwhile, DHS representatives defended the sharing of information as a necessary step for public safety.
各方對此事的看法分歧。民主黨參議員 Richard Blumenthal 和 Elizabeth Warren 將這些行為描述為濫用聯邦記錄，並要求提供更多關於 DOGE 獲取數據權限的資訊。另一方面，SSA 主張其內部系統是安全的，並否認曾使用過該 270 萬人的名單。同時，DHS 代表則辯稱分享資訊是維護公共安全的必要步驟。
Conclusion
The SSA denies the larger claims of mass record falsification, and the plan involving 2.7 million people was reportedly not carried out before the whistleblower left.
SSA 否認大規模偽造記錄的指控，且據報導，涉及 270 萬人的計劃在舉報者離職前並未執行。
Vocabulary Learning
⚡ The 'Cause-and-Effect' Engine
At the A2 level, students usually use simple words like so or because. To reach B2, you need to show how one event triggers another using more sophisticated connectors.
Look at this chain from the text:
*"...mark about 2.7 million people as deceased. Consequently, these people would have been removed from the financial system..."
🛠️ The Power Move: "Consequently"
Instead of saying "So, this happened," B2 speakers use Consequently. It signals a logical result. It transforms a simple story into a professional analysis.
The Logic Flow:
Action (The Cause) Consequently Result (The Effect)
Example from the article:
- Cause: Marking living people as dead.
- Effect: Frozen bank accounts and stopped benefits.
🧩 Expanding Your Range
To avoid repeating the same word, try these 'B2 Bridge' alternatives found in or inspired by the text's logic:
-
Resulted in (Verb phrase)
- Text: "This resulted in over 6,000 people being wrongly listed..."
- Use this when: The cause leads directly to a specific number or a concrete outcome.
-
Due to (Prepositional phrase)
- Variation: "The errors occurred due to a list from the DHS."
- Use this when: You want to point directly at the source of the problem.
🚀 Quick Upgrade Challenge
Stop saying: "It rained, so I stayed home." Start saying: "It rained; consequently, I decided to stay home."
Vocabulary Learning
Allegations of Systematic Falsification of Social Security Death Records for Immigration Enforcement Purposes
指控為執行移民執法而系統性偽造社會保障死亡紀錄
Introduction
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has denied claims that it attempted to erroneously classify millions of living individuals as deceased to facilitate immigration enforcement.
社會保障局 (SSA) 否認有指稱其嘗試將數百萬名生存者錯誤地列為已故，以便利移民執法。
Main Body
The controversy originates from a whistleblower disclosure submitted by Jeremiah Schofield, a former senior SSA official. Schofield alleges that personnel from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative associated with Elon Musk, pressured the SSA to manipulate the Death Master File (DMF). According to the disclosure, the objective was to designate approximately 2.7 million individuals as deceased. This action would have effectively excised these individuals from the financial system, freezing bank accounts and terminating public benefits, thereby inducing 'self-deportation' or forcing individuals to present themselves at government offices for detention.
此次爭議源於前 SSA 高層 Jeremiah Schofield 提交的舉報。Schofield 指稱，與 Elon Musk 相關的政府效率部 (DOGE) 人員向 SSA 施壓以操縱死亡主檔案 (DMF)。根據披露，目標是將約 270 萬人列為已故。此舉將有效地將這些人從金融體系中剔除，凍結銀行帳戶並終止公共福利，從而誘導其「自動離境」或迫使相關人士前往政府部門報到而被拘留。
Institutional resistance within the SSA was reported, with career staff and agency counsel asserting that such actions would violate the Privacy Act and internal regulations requiring evidentiary proof of death. Despite these objections, the disclosure states that a smaller-scale operation was executed in April 2025, resulting in the incorrect classification of over 6,000 individuals based on a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) list. This necessitated subsequent corrective measures when affected individuals appeared at field offices.
據報導，SSA 內部存在抵制情況，職業人員與機構法律顧問主張此類行動將違反《隱私法》及要求死亡證明證據的內部規定。儘管有這些反對，披露指出在 2025 年 4 月執行了一次較小規模的行動，導致超過 6,000 人根據國土安全部 (DHS) 的名單被錯誤分類。當受影響人士出現在分局時，這使得後續必須採取修正措施。
Stakeholder positioning remains polarized. Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren have characterized these actions as a weaponization of federal records and have requested detailed disclosures regarding DOGE's access to sensitive databases. Conversely, the SSA maintains that its internal controls ensure record integrity and denies the implementation of the 2.7 million-person list. DHS representatives have defended inter-agency information sharing as a necessary component of public safety and the identification of unauthorized benefit utilization.
利害關係人的立場依然兩極化。民主黨參議員 Richard Blumenthal 與 Elizabeth Warren 將這些行為定性為聯邦紀錄的武器化，並要求詳細披露 DOGE 存取敏感數據庫的情況。相反，SSA 主張其內部控制可確保紀錄完整，並否認實施過 270 萬人的名單。DHS 代表則為部門間的資訊共享辯護，認為這是維護公共安全與識別未經授權領取福利的必要組成部分。
Conclusion
The SSA denies the broader allegations of mass record falsification, while the 2.7 million-person plan reportedly remained unimplemented at the time of the whistleblower's departure.
SSA 否認大規模偽造紀錄的指控，而據報導 270 萬人的計劃在舉報人離開時仍未實施。
Vocabulary Learning
The Architecture of Euphemistic Precision
At the C2 level, mastery is not merely about knowing big words, but about understanding the strategic deployment of sterile terminology to mask systemic violence or ethical breaches. This text is a masterclass in Bureaucratic Obfuscation.
◤ The 'Cold' Lexicon
Notice the transition from raw human experience to administrative processing. The author employs specific noun-verb pairings that distance the actor from the action:
- "Excised these individuals": The verb excise is surgical. It removes the human element and replaces it with a clinical procedure, suggesting a precise removal rather than a chaotic disruption of lives.
- "Unauthorized benefit utilization": This is a quintessential C2 linguistic pivot. Instead of saying "illegal immigrants taking welfare," the text uses a nominalized string. Utilization is a neutral, technical term that strips the act of its social and political volatility.
◤ Syntactic Distancing & Agency
Observe the use of the passive voice and nominalization to dilute accountability:
"Institutional resistance... was reported"
By starting with the resistance rather than the people resisting, the sentence focuses on the state of the institution. This is the "Language of the State," where actions happen, but actors disappear.
◤ Semantic Contrast: The 'Slippery' Term
"Self-deportation"
This is a high-level conceptual oxymoron. Deportation is, by definition, a forced state action. By prefixing it with "self," the terminology creates a linguistic loophole—suggesting that the state didn't deport the person, but rather created an environment so hostile that the person "chose" to leave.
C2 Takeaway: To move from B2 to C2, stop looking for synonyms and start looking for connotative shielding. Analyze how authors use formal, Latinate vocabulary (facilitate, necessitated, implementation) to create a veneer of legality over actions that are fundamentally coercive.