A freshly surfaced report suggests that the Trump administration is contemplating the removal of a significant criterion from the evaluation of eligibility for Social Security disability payments.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that the administration is planning to overhaul the system, altering how older individuals qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

White House spokesman Kush Desai told the Daily Mail that ‘President Trump will always protect and defend Social Security for American citizens. 

‘The sole policy modification to Social Security is President Trump’s tax cut for working families, which abolished the taxation of Social Security for nearly all recipients – opposed by every Democrat,’ Desai noted.

As per sources familiar with the discussions, the proposal could make it more challenging for older workers to obtain benefits, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of Americans.

This proposed change is one among several the administration is contemplating, aiming to revamp the federal safety net for older, impoverished, and disabled citizens.

Currently, the Social Security Administration assesses disability claims by considering an individual’s age, education, and work experience to ascertain if they can adjust to different types of employment.

Older applicants, typically those over age 50, have historically been more likely to qualify, as age has been considered a factor that limits a person’s ability to transition to new types of employment.

Under the proposed plan, officials are reportedly considering either removing age as a factor altogether or raising the threshold to 60 years of age. According to three individuals familiar with the proposal who spoke on condition of anonymity, this change would represent one of the most significant shifts in how disability claims are evaluated in decades.

The administration is also reported to be working on modernizing the labor market data used in these assessments. The current database, long criticized as outdated, still includes obsolete jobs such as ‘nut sorter’ and ‘telephone quotation clerk.’ Following a 2022 Washington Post investigation that highlighted these issues, officials are now seeking to replace the old data with more current labor statistics that reflect today’s job market.

Experts say it is difficult to estimate exactly how many people could lose access to benefits under these proposed rule changes. 

However, a recent analysis by Jack Smalligan, a senior policy fellow at the Urban Institute and former Office of Management and Budget official, suggested that if eligibility were reduced by just 10 percent, about 750,000 people could lose benefits over the next decade. 

Additionally, about 80,000 widows and children could lose benefits tied to a disabled spouse or parent.

Smalligan noted that many older Americans who apply for disability benefits often struggle to find new employment. If age were no longer considered, more individuals might opt for early retirement instead, resulting in permanently reduced monthly payments.

The initiative is reportedly being led by Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, who has long sought to revise disability rules. Supporters argue that longer lifespans and less physically demanding work justify tightening eligibility, while critics warn the move could leave vulnerable Americans without needed support.

The Daily Mail reached out to the Office of Management and Budget, as well as contacts for the U.S. Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committees for comment outside of regular business hours.

President Trump has repeatedly pledged not to touch entitlement payments despite significant pushes by him and his allies to cut spending across various areas of government.