The acting head of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Michelle King, resigned over the weekend following a conflict with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. Reports indicate that the disagreement centered around DOGE’s attempts to access sensitive government records, prompting King to step down from her role.
King’s departure was confirmed by three sources who spoke to the Washington Post, detailing the friction that led to her resignation. In the wake of her exit, President Donald Trump appointed Leland Dudek as the interim leader of the SSA. This move comes as Frank Bisignano, Trump’s nominee for the permanent commissioner position, undergoes the vetting process by federal lawmakers.
Harrison Fields, the Principal Deputy Press Secretary at the White House, expressed confidence in Bisignano’s swift confirmation in the near future. Meanwhile, Dudek, who has previously praised DOGE’s efforts to combat fraud and reduce costs across federal agencies, will oversee the SSA during this transition.
The SSA has been under scrutiny as DOGE, established through an executive order, aims to identify and eliminate wasteful spending in federal programs. Musk has been vocal about the agency’s inefficiencies, recently claiming on social media that millions of individuals in the Social Security database are mistakenly recorded as centenarians, raising questions about the accuracy of the records.
Musk’s comments highlighted a staggering number: over 20 million entries for individuals aged 100 and older, including more than 3.9 million listed as being between 130 and 139 years old. This situation has drawn attention to the broader issues of fraud and mismanagement within the SSA, which was originally created in 1935 to provide a federal benefits system for older Americans.
As the agency prepares for a leadership change, it remains to be seen how these developments will impact the ongoing efforts to reform and streamline Social Security operations. The SSA did not respond to requests for comments regarding King’s resignation or the agency’s current direction.