The acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Michelle King, has resigned amid a standoff with the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk. King's departure, confirmed over the weekend, follows her refusal to grant DOGE staffers access to sensitive Social Security recipient data, intensifying concerns over federal data security and political interference in government operations.
The White House quickly moved to fill the vacancy, appointing Leland Dudek, head of the SSA's anti-fraud office, as acting commissioner while awaiting Senate confirmation of Frank Bisignano, a banking executive tapped to lead the agency permanently.
King's resignation highlights broader tensions within the federal government over DOGE's expanding authority. Since its creation as part of President Donald Trump's push to cut government waste, DOGE has conducted aggressive audits of major federal programs, drawing criticism from civil servants and lawmakers alike. The SSA, which administers benefits for over 70 million Americans, maintains a vast database of personal information, including Social Security numbers, employment histories, and home addresses.
Concerns about DOGE's involvement in government databases have been growing. According to reports, the agency has already accessed systems at the Treasury Department, prompting the resignation of that department's highest-ranking civil servant last month. At the SSA, King's resistance to allowing similar access ultimately led to her departure.
Martin O'Malley, who led the SSA under the Biden administration, warned that DOGE's actions could disrupt the agency's core functions. "At this rate, they will break it. And they will break it fast, and there will be an interruption of benefits," O'Malley said. He also criticized the selection of Dudek, arguing that appointing someone outside the Senior Executive Service signaled "that professional people should leave that beleaguered public agency."
DOGE's efforts have been driven in part by Musk, who has made repeated claims-without providing clear evidence-that widespread fraud exists in federal entitlement programs. "I am 100% certain that the magnitude of the fraud in federal entitlements-Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, Disability, etc.-exceeds the combined sum of every private scam you've ever heard by FAR," Musk posted on X, formerly Twitter, last week.
The Trump administration has defended DOGE's role, arguing that rooting out fraud is essential to ensuring the financial sustainability of federal programs. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields stated, "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."
Advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers have voiced alarm over DOGE's influence. Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an organization focused on preserving benefits, warned that increased access to SSA records could compromise the security of millions of Americans. "The information collected and securely held by the Social Security Administration is highly sensitive," Altman said. "SSA has data on everyone who has a Social Security number, which is virtually all Americans, everyone who has Medicare, and every low-income American who has applied for Social Security's means-tested companion program, Supplemental Security Income."
Musk has dismissed concerns about DOGE's operations, arguing that his role is simply to increase efficiency. "I love the people. We just want to fix the waste and fraud that is bankrupting the country," he posted on X. "The scrutiny on me is extreme, so it's not like I could 'get away' with something, nor do I have any incentive to do so."
