A new report claims the Trump administration is thinking about excluding a major component from the determination of a person's suitability for Social Security disability compensation.

The Trump administration is said to be preparing a plan to fundamentally alter the way older people become qualified for Social Security disability benefits, according to The Washington Post reported Sunday.

White House press secretary Kush Desai informed the Daily Mail that 'President Trump will always protect and defend Social Security for American citizens.

'The only policy change to Social Security is President Trump's working families tax cut legislation that ended taxation of Social Security for nearly all beneficiaries - something every single Democrat voted against,' Desai continued.

Under the proposal, as described by people who spoke with the Washington Post, it would be more difficult for older workers to become eligible for the benefits, and the shift would affect hundreds of thousands of Americans.

This is also allegedly one of several changes the administration is weighing in an attempt to transform the federal safety net for poor, disabled, and older Americans.

The Social Security Administration now determines disability claims based on an individual's, and work history to see whether an individual can adapt to different types of work.

Applicants who are older, usually over age 50, have been more likely to be qualified in the past, since age has been viewed as a factor that restricts an individual from adapting to new forms of employment.

Under the plan, as proposed, officials are said to be contemplating either eliminating age as a factor or increasing the threshold to 60 years old. This would be one of the most sweeping changes in the way disability claims are assessed in decades, according to three people familiar with the proposal who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The government is also said to be engaged in updating the labor market statistics utilized in making these judgments. The outdated database, which has been criticized for years, continues to carry out-of-date occupations like 'nut sorter' and 'telephone quotation clerk.' In the wake of a 2022 Washington Post exposé about such problems, officials are now looking to update the dated information with newer labor statistics that best capture the current job landscape.

Analysts say it is hard to gauge exactly how many individuals would lose benefits under these rule changes as proposed.

But one recent study by Jack Smalligan, a senior policy fellow at the Urban Institute and a former Office of Management and Budget employee, estimated that if eligibility were cut by only 10 percent, approximately 750,000 individuals would lose benefits in the next ten years.

In addition, some 80,000 widows and children may have benefits linked to a disabled spouse or parent lost.

Smalligan added that most older Americans who seek disability benefits tend to find it difficult to get new jobs. If age were not taken into consideration, more people might choose early retirement instead, leading to lower monthly payments perpetually.

The effort is said to be spearheaded by Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, who has long tried to overhaul disability regulations. Advocates say increased lifespans and less strenuous jobs warrant tightening the eligibility, while opponents say the action could leave at-risk Americans without access to necessary aid.

The Daily Mail contacted the Office of Management and Budget, as well as representatives for the U.S. Senate Finance and Health and Pensions committees for comment after hours.

President Trump has consistently promised not to touch entitlement payments despite strong pushes by him and his supporters to reduce spending in many areas of government.

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