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The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner reportedly resigned over the weekend after a dispute with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over the Elon Musk-headed group’s efforts to access sensitive government records.
Michelle King, a career federal worker who had been with SSA since 1994, quit over the DOGE disagreement Saturday and was replaced by Leland Dudek, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
Dudek, who has been supportive of DOGE’s efforts to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, will serve as acting commissioner of SSA until President Trump’s pick to lead the agency, Frank Bisignano, is confirmed by the Senate, according to the outlet.
DOGE staffers embedded at SSA reportedly sought access to sensitive files in the same manner they have at other federal agencies, such as the Treasury Department, since Trump established the cost-cutting initiative.
SSA, which manages Social Security payments for more than 70 million Americans, holds troves of personal data.
The agency has a list of every Social Security Number that has ever been issued as well as work and pay history and banking information for millions of Americans.
SSA also keeps the medical records of Americans who have applied for disability benefits.
It’s unclear what specific information sought by DOGE led to King’s resignation.
“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,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement to The Post.
“In the meantime, the agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner,” Fields added. “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.”
The SSA did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
King’s resignation comes as DOGE chief Elon Musk has recently been scrutinizing alleged Social Security fraud, claiming to have found instances of 150-year-old people collecting Social Security benefits and suspiciously rich federal workers who he suspects of self-dealing.
The Tesla and X CEO-turned-special government employee expressed disbelief on Sunday after uncovering that 20 million people are listed in the Social Security database as over the age of 100 years old.
“This might be the biggest fraud in history,” Musk wrote on X.
SSA pays out about $1.5 trillion in social security benefits annually.
Trump has pledged not to cut the social security benefits for seniors.
