Trump’s New Social Security Commissioner, Frank Bisignano, Says He Had To ‘Google His Job’ Because He Didn’t Know What It Did

In early May, Frank Bisignano was sworn in as the head of the Social Security Administration (SSA) as the pick of President Donald Trump. Bisignano is a former Wall Street executive and wasn’t actively seeking a job when the Trump administration contacted him about becoming the head of the SSA.

Bisignano was the chairman and CEO of Fiserv Inc., a financial technology company. He had never worked in government or with the Social Security Administration (SSA) prior to this.

In a meeting with Social Security managers last Wednesday, he had said that he wasn’t looking for a position when contacted. Bisignano did not know what the commissioner of Social Security’s job entailed. He had to Google to find out what the responsibilities of the role were.

Now, the head of the SSA is in charge of one of the largest federal agencies which are responsible for the distribution of retirement, disability and survivor benefits to over 70 million citizens.

There have been concerns about the future of SSA, particularly with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, making significant workforce cuts.

In the meeting, Bisignano stated that Social Security benefits would not be cut.

However, the SSA workforce has already been reduced, making it significantly harder to process claims.

Despite Bisignano’s reassurances that he will not support slashing SSA funding. Many Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), have expressed concern about Bisignano’s lack of experience in leading the critical agency.

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Article by Sherry Chen

Sherry Chen is a uPolitics writer.