The White House reaffirmed its confidence in Bisignano’s nomination, with Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields stating that the confirmation is expected in the coming weeks
The acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Michelle King, has stepped down following a dispute with DOGE employees over access to a sensitive internal data system, according to sources cited by ABC News.
King, a veteran official who served in the agency for more than 30 years, was replaced over the weekend by Leland Dudek, who will serve as acting commissioner until Frank Bisignano, President Donald Trump’s nominee, is confirmed by the Senate.
The disagreement reportedly stemmed from DOGE employees seeking access to an internal SSA database containing highly sensitive personal information, including earnings records, benefit details, spousal information, and medical records of disability applicants.
Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an organisation advocating for the expansion of Social Security, highlighted the breadth of information held by the agency.
“It’s your entire earnings record. If you’re a beneficiary, it’s your benefits, it’s the name of your spouse and when you got married and if you got divorced, and all kinds of information. And most sensitive, if you’ve applied for disability benefits, all of your medical records,” Altman said.
Uncertainty Over Access To Data
It remains unclear whether DOGE employees ultimately gained access to the system following the dispute with King. However, Dudek, in an email to SSA staff on Monday night, stated his commitment to transparency and oversight.
“I will lead this agency in an open and transparent manner. My first call as Acting Commissioner was to our Inspector General’s office to provide them an opportunity to oversee and review any and all agency activities, including my actions past, present, and future. Transparency is at the heart of good government,” Dudek wrote.
The White House reaffirmed its confidence in Bisignano’s nomination, with Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields stating that the confirmation is expected in the coming weeks.
“In the meantime, the agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner. 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,” Fields said.
Musk & DOGE Tasked With Fraud Investigation
The dispute comes as Elon Musk and DOGE, an entity tasked with investigating federal agencies, have been actively looking into the SSA’s handling of payments. In an interview with Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump had directed Musk and DOGE to identify fraud within the agency.
“And so their goal in going into the Social Security Administration is to identify three things. Number one, to identify duplicate payments and to end them. Number two, to identify payments that are going to deceased people who are no longer living and should no longer be receiving that money. And number three, to protect the integrity of the system for hardworking Americans who have been paying into it their entire lives,” Leavitt stated.
She assured beneficiaries that legitimate Social Security payments would not be affected by the review.
“So rest assured to all of the people watching your show tonight, if you paid into the system honestly, you will continue to receive your Social Security checks,” Leavitt added.
The situation underscores growing tensions between the Biden-era federal bureaucracy and the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul government agencies through private sector involvement and external oversight.
