The Social Security Administration’s acting leader stepped down from her role over requests from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access recipient data, according to several reports.
Acting Commissioner Michelle King departed from the agency over the weekend after more than 30 years of service. She allegedly refused to provide DOGE staffers with sensitive information, The Associated Press reported.
In a statement, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said President Trump nominated “the highly qualified and talented Frank Bisignano” to lead the agency.
“We expect him to be swiftly confirmed in the coming weeks,” Fields said. “In the meantime, the agency will be led by a carer Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner.”
He added that Trump is committed to appointing “the best and most qualified” people to work on behalf of the American people, “not to appease the bureaucracy that has failed them for far too long.”
The AP noted that King’s departure is one of several from high-ranking officials as DOGE seeks access to various federal departments and agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department.
Trump appointed Leland Dudek to lead the agency on an acting basis while Bisignano, the CEO of financial software giant Fiserv, awaits Senate confirmation. Selecting Dudek means Trump bypassed several other senior executives who were higher ranking, causing concern among employees, The Washington Post reported.
“To pick an acting commissioner that is not in the senior executive service sends a message that professional people should leave that beleaguered public agency,” Martin O’Malley, the Social Security commissioner under the Biden administration, said, per the Post.
DOGE seeking access to sensitive information at the agency has sounded alarm bells, as the data collected and stored includes Social Security numbers, Medicare information and applications for supplemental income programs.
About 72.5 million people, including retirees, disabled people and children receive benefits from Social Security.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
