This story will be updated.
The Social Security Administration is ending Maine parents’ ability to register their newborns for a Social Security number at the hospital. While no reason has been given for the change, other states’ canceled contracts appear on Elon Musk’s so-called Wall of Receipts, a website meant to show savings accrued by his team as it cancels contracts and programs.
The Enumeration at Birth process has been in place for all states since 1989 and is used by 99% of parents, according to the Social Security Administration.
But this week Maine officials at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention began notifying providers that the federal government had suspended the in-hospital application process and parents will now have to apply in person at a Social Security office. The notice said EAB is voluntary but “almost all parents” utilized the program to obtain a Social Security number for their child. Officials said parents will need to visit their local Social Security Office to apply for their child’s Social Security number.
While no reason was given for the change, the cancellation of enumeration at birth contracts for at least five other states appears on a website touting savings by Musk’s team. They include Arizona, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico and Rhode Island. Maine’s contract does not appear on the website.
Musk has been tapped by President Donald Trump to cull the federal bureaucracy of waste and fraud, but his efforts have created a firestorm of controversy as he’s vastly overstated savings and misrepresented the nature of the programs his team is eliminating.
The notice from the Maine CDC states that the agency will notify providers if the suspension is reversed.
This story was originally published by Maine Public. It was shared as part of the New England News Collaborative.
