Someone has to pay for the new SSN system. Someone has to pay to maintain the database for the old system, since a lot of stuff is still reliant on those “old” numbers and will be for some time. Someone has to pay for printing and distributing new cards to everyone. Someone has to pay for gov employees to check IDs and verify people before distribution. Someone is going to have to pay for errors in the deployment. Someone is going to have to pay for the damage done by identity theft.

I would bet that someone will not be Elon, or anyone else at DOGE.