The top official’s departure marks the latest in a series of resignations from senior leaders in agencies targeted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Michelle King, the top official at the Social Security Administration (SSA), resigned over the weekend after refusing a request from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access sensitive government records.
The White House confirmed King’s departure, with spokesperson Harrison Fields announcing that Frank Bisignano, nominated by President donald Trump, would soon take over as the new head of the agency. In the meantime, a career anti-fraud expert would serve as the acting commissioner.
Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, a group that advocates for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, explained that King’s refusal involved protecting sensitive personal information. This included bank details, social security numbers, earnings records, marital statuses, birthdates, and sometimes medical records from people applying for disability benefits. Altman said that while King was not forced to leave, she chose to retire because she didn’t want to allow access to this private data.
The White House, meanwhile, made the decision to replace her with someone who might be willing to give access to such information.
Frank Bisignano’s nomination was praised by the White House, with Fields emphasizing the president’s commitment to appointing qualified individuals to lead agencies. He also noted that Trump was determined to address the “failed bureaucracy” at the SSA.
Altman strongly criticized DOGE’s request for access to this sensitive data. She pointed out that the SSA holds vast amounts of personal information that the public trusts the government to protect. According to her, allowing access to such data is a serious violation of privacy.
The resignation is part of a broader trend of officials stepping down from agencies targeted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. These agencies oversee critical services, and Musk’s team has been investigating potential fraud within them. In an interview with Fox News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that Trump had tasked Musk and DOGE with identifying fraud at the SSA, even though their investigations hadn’t yet thoroughly examined the agency’s records. However, they suspected widespread fraud was occurring.
A report released by the SSA’s inspector general in July found that from 2015 to 2022, less than 1% of benefits payments were improper, suggesting that fraud at the agency was minimal.
This isn’t the first time DOGE has raised concerns about accessing sensitive data. A DOGE-affiliated employee at the IRS is reportedly trying to access the agency’s taxpayer records, and DOGE recently gained access to the Treasury Department’s payment system, which contains Social Security numbers and other confidential financial data. This led to several lawsuits accusing DOGE of violating privacy laws, and the Justice Department temporarily limited DOGE’s access to the Treasury’s systems. A judge later blocked political appointees and DOGE employees from accessing sensitive information within the Treasury Department.
This situation is part of a growing controversy about the actions of DOGE and its attempts to access private data within federal agencies, including those responsible for Social Security and tax records. The debate continues over the balance between government efficiency and protecting citizens’ privacy.