The Social Safety Administration’s performing commissioner reportedly resigned over the weekend after a dispute with the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) over the Elon Musk-headed group’s efforts to entry delicate authorities data.
Michelle King, a profession federal employee who had been with SSA since 1994, stop over the DOGE disagreement Saturday and was changed by Leland Dudek, the Washington Submit reported on Monday.
Dudek, who has been supportive of DOGE’s efforts to root out waste, fraud and abuse within the federal authorities, will function performing commissioner of SSA till President Trump’s decide to guide the company, Frank Bisignano, is confirmed by the Senate, in accordance with the outlet.
DOGE staffers embedded at SSA reportedly sought entry to delicate information in the identical method they’ve at different federal businesses, such because the Treasury Division, since Trump established the cost-cutting initiative.
SSA, which manages Social Safety funds for greater than 70 million People, holds troves of non-public knowledge.
The company has a listing of each Social Safety Quantity that has ever been issued in addition to work and pay historical past and banking data for tens of millions of People.
SSA additionally retains the medical data of People who’ve utilized for incapacity advantages.
It’s unclear what particular data sought by DOGE led to King’s resignation.
“President Trump has nominated the highly qualified and talented Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration, and we expect him to be swiftly confirmed in the coming weeks,” White Home spokesperson Harrison Fields stated in a press release to The Submit.
“In the meantime, the agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner,” Fields added. “President Trump is committed to appointing the best and most qualified individuals who are dedicated to working on behalf of the American people, not to appease the bureaucracy that has failed them for far too long.”
The SSA didn’t instantly reply to The Submit’s request for remark.
King’s resignation comes as DOGE chief Elon Musk has lately been scrutinizing alleged Social Safety fraud, claiming to have discovered cases of 150-year-old folks accumulating Social Safety advantages and suspiciously wealthy federal employees who he suspects of self-dealing.
The Tesla and X CEO-turned-special authorities worker expressed disbelief on Sunday after uncovering that 20 million individuals are listed within the Social Safety database as over the age of 100 years outdated.
“This might be the biggest fraud in history,” Musk wrote on X.
SSA pays out about $1.5 trillion in social safety advantages yearly.
Trump has pledged to not reduce the social safety advantages for seniors.
