Social Security Administration (SSA) acting commissioner Lee Dudek on Friday reversed the agency’s decision to change how newborns in the state of Maine receive their Social Security cards, apologizing for “an undue burden on the people of Maine.”
“In retrospect, I realize that ending these contracts created an undue burden on the people of Maine, which was not the intent,” he said in a statement.
“For that, I apologize and have directed that both contracts be immediately reinstated. EAB and EDR continue in place for every state and were not affected,” he added.
The Enumeration at Birth (EAB) program enables parents to obtain a Social Security card for their newborn at the same time they register the birth, ending the need to collect documents and fill out an application separately.
Dudek stopped short of explaining the reasoning behind the SSA’s initial proposal to discontinue birth enumeration for residents of the state.
Dudek a day earlier had announced that parents in Maine would not be able to register their newborns for a Social Security number at the hospital and would be required to do so by visiting the state’s Social Security offices.
This incident follows a recent exchange between Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) and President Trump at the White House, in which she confronted him about his executive order preventing transgender women from competing in women’s and girls’ sports, stating, “I’ll see you in court.”
Last month, former acting SSA Commissioner Michelle King resigned over the Department of Government Efficiency’s request to access recipients’ data, citing concerns with its examination by a nonelected official.
The Hill reached out to the SSA and the Department of Human and Health Services for comment.
