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By Aliss Higham
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The former Social Security Administration (SSA) commissioner has said that benefits could be interrupted due to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) audit.
Why It Matters
Musk, selected by President Donald Trump as head of the DOGE, has been tasked with finding ways to streamline government processes and cut spending. But the unofficial government agency's approach to the task, and its access to government payment systems and personal information, have been met with backlash from some lawmakers, government officials and advocacy groups.
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Musk has said Social Security is rife with fraud and erroneous payments, and that the federal agency has been making payments to long-dead recipients. This weekend, acting commissioner Michelle King resigned from her role over DOGE's alleged access to SSA data.
What To Know
Martin O'Malley, the Social Security commissioner under the Biden administration and a former Maryland governor, has heavily criticized DOGE's intervention in the federal agency, which manages and provides benefits sent to some 73 million Americans every month.
"At this rate, they [DOGE] will break it. And they will break it fast, and there will be an interruption of benefits," O'Malley said, according to a report by the Washington Post newspaper. Newsweek has contacted the SSA for comment via email.
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O'Malley also took issue with the appointment of Leland Dudek, a manager in charge of Social Security's anti-fraud office, as acting commissioner, instead of other high-ranking officials at the federal agency. Dudek will head up the SSA until Frank Bisignano, President Trump's nomination, is likely appointed via a Senate confirmation hearing.
"It's a shame the chilling effect it has to disregard 120 senior executive service people," O'Malley added. "To pick an acting commissioner that is not in the senior executive service sends a message that professional people should leave that beleaguered public agency."
DOGE at the SSA
Elon Musk has said that DOGE staffers have been auditing the SSA, and has since claimed on various occasions that people that are hundreds of years old—and therefore dead—are claiming Social Security benefits. Earlier this week, he published part of a spreadsheet that he claims shows millions of long-dead people still claiming benefits.
During a White House appearance with President Trump last week, Musk said that a "cursory examination of Social Security" showed that payments were being sent to people "that are 150 years old."
What People Are Saying
New acting Commissioner Leland Dudek said in an email seen by ABC News: "I will lead this agency in an open and transparent manner. My first call as Acting Commissioner was to our Inspector General's office to provide them an opportunity to oversee and review any and all agency activities, including my actions past, present, and future. Transparency is at the heart of good government."
Harrison Fields, White House spokesperson, released a statement Monday night that read: "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. In the meantime, the agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner."
What Happens Next
Dudek will be acting commissioner until Trump's nominee, GOP donor and businessman Frank Bisignano, is likely confirmed by the Senate in the coming months.
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