Acting Social Security commissioner resigns after clash with DOGE

The acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Michelle King, resigned over the weekend after a clash regarding level of access by DOGE members to sensitive information. Although the exact causes have not been made official, the departure of the veteran official, who acceded to the position with the arrival of Donald Trump last month, coincides with the claims by Elon Musk on X about the "possible largest fraud in history" by detecting that more than 20 million people over 100 years old appear as beneficiaries in the agency's databases.

King was appointed to the post on an interim basis by the Trump administration while Frank Bisignano, the pick to permanently fill that seat, passes Senate review. King, who has worked for the agency for more than 30 years, will be replaced by Leland Dudek, according to The Washington Post, the media outlet that broke the news.

'Career anti-fraud expert' awaiting Senate green light for Frank Bisignano

Dudek, is a head of Social Security's anti-fraud office, and has been a vocal supporter of the DOGE cuts on social media. In a statement to The Washington Post, White House spokesman Harrison Fields emphasized that the person at the helm of the SSA will be "a career Social Security anti-fraud expert" and that a Trump appointment would never be to "appease the bureaucracy."

"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. 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."

Sensitive information on more than 70 million Americans

To advance Trump's mission to cut government spending and reduce its size, DOGE workers require access to the records of the agencies they audit. In the case of the SSA, the agency handles information on benefit payments to more than 70 million Americans and stores a massive amount of sensitive personal data such as a listing of every Social Security number ever issued, payments made and bank information, as well as the medical records of those who have applied for disability benefits.