In a significant development, Michelle King, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), has resigned following a dispute with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. The contention centered on DOGE’s attempts to access sensitive beneficiary information within the SSA’s extensive databases.
King, a 30-year veteran of the SSA, resisted efforts by DOGE to obtain detailed personal data of over 70 million Americans, including Social Security numbers, earnings histories, and medical records. Her departure underscores the escalating tensions between federal agencies and DOGE, which has been aggressively pursuing access to various governmental data systems under the pretext of identifying and eliminating waste and fraud.
The White House has appointed Leland Dudek as the new acting commissioner of the SSA. Dudek is known to support DOGE’s initiatives, suggesting a potential shift in the agency’s stance on data sharing. Additionally, President Trump has nominated Frank Bisignano for the permanent role, pending Senate confirmation.
This incident is not isolated. Similar resignations have occurred in other federal agencies where officials have opposed DOGE’s intrusive data access requests. Notably, at the Treasury Department, acting Deputy Secretary David Lebryk resigned after resisting DOGE’s attempts to access sensitive payment systems that manage trillions in annual disbursements, including Social Security and Medicare benefits.
Elon Musk has publicly alleged significant fraud within the Social Security system, citing anomalies such as beneficiaries purportedly aged over 150 years. However, these claims have been met with skepticism, and internal reports indicate that improper payments constitute less than 1% of total disbursements, primarily due to overpayments rather than fraudulent activities.