Social Security’s Acting Chief Resigns Amid
Michelle King, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), has resigned from her position. Her departure follows a significant disagreement with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The conflict centered on a request from DOGE for access to confidential Social Security records. Officials at the SSA viewed this demand as a serious violation of citizen privacy, with a senior federal official noting it was “the breaking point for Michelle King.”
The White House swiftly confirmed that President Trump had accepted her resignation. To fill the vacancy, Leland Dudek, the SSA’s current anti-fraud chief, was appointed as the new acting commissioner.
President Trump also announced his intention to nominate Frank Bisignano, the CEO of the financial services company Fiserv, for the permanent commissioner role. The president publicly praised Bisignano as “highly qualified and talented.”
Elon Musk publicly defended his department’s actions. He argued that accessing the data was necessary to identify waste and fraud, citing questionable records like “thousands of Americans over 120 years old—on paper.”
However, critics have raised strong concerns about this initiative. They warn that granting such broad access to sensitive information poses a major risk to public privacy and data security.
This leadership change symbolizes a larger ideological clash. It represents the growing tension between traditional government protocols that prioritize data protection and a new, Silicon Valley-driven push for radical transparency and efficiency.
