Head Of Social Security Administration, Michelle King, Quits After Refusing To Give DOGE Access To Private Taxpayer Information

Michelle King stepped down as head of the Social Security Administration (SSA) over the weekend after clashing with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). President Donald Trump has tasked the billionaire CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, to lead DOGE in its effort to slash the federal workforce and reduce wasteful government spending. The DOGE team made its way into the SSA last week, where they sought access to sensitive records containing the private information of Americans.

The acting commissioner worked for the agency for over 30 years overseeing the retiree and disability benefits received by 73 million people. Trump has nominated Frank Bisignano to take her place.

“Frank is a business leader, with a tremendous track record of transforming large corporations,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post back in December. Bisignano is the chairman, president and CEO of Fiserv, a global provider of financial technology and services to institutions such as banks, credit unions and insurance agencies.

Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, anticipates that Bisignano would focus on administrative priorities rather than Social Security reform.

“Bisignano’s professional background is that of an executive who would administer an agency, not a public policy expert who would advocate broader changes to the program,” Biggs said.

King’s exit follows along with many other top officials as Musk seeks to gain access to federal agencies’ data. King refused to provide DOGE workers with access to sensitive information.

DOGE has made many changes to several agencies, including USAID, which is responsible for offering humanitarian aid overseas. It put most of the staff on administrative leave, recalled those who were overseas, and prevented staff from accessing the USAID office in Washington, D.C. DOGE has also sought, in recent days, access to IRS computer systems that hold sensitive data.

Musk claimed in an Oval Office press conference on Feb. 11 that through a “cursory examination” of Social Security “we got people in there that are 150 years old.”

“Now, do you know anyone that’s 150? I don’t know. They should be in the Guinness Book of World Records… So, that’s a case where I think they’re probably dead,” Musk said.

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about…you know what the biggest problem is of Social Security? They’re serving more people than ever, every single day, with staffing that House Republicans have reduced to a 50-year low,” said former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley.

“We’re not touching Social Security, other than we might make it more efficient,” Trump said during an interview with NBC News in December. When asked if there are any limits placed on what Musk can examine, Trump said that Social Security “will only be strengthened.”

DOGE employees do have access to the Social Security numbers of many Americans, along with sensitive tax information and banking accounts for direct deposit.

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Article by Angie Schlager