Top Social Security Official Leaves After Musk Team Seeks Data Access

The top official at the Social Security Administration (SSA) resigned this weekend after members of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency attempted to access sensitive personal information about millions of Americans, according to sources familiar with the situation.https://svtoday.org/

Michelle King, who had been serving as the acting commissioner, stepped down in what marks the latest in a series of abrupt departures by senior federal officials who have refused to allow Musk’s team access to confidential data. Musk’s team has been embedding within federal agencies and requesting private data as part of an initiative they claim aims to identify fraud and waste.

Social Security payments represent about $1.5 trillion, or roughly a fifth of the U.S. federal budget. While President Trump has promised to avoid cuts to the program’s retirement benefits, he has expressed openness to finding ways to eliminate wasteful spending within the retirement system that provides benefits to millions of Americans.

An audit from the SSA’s inspector general last year revealed that from 2015 to 2022, the agency paid out nearly $8.6 trillion in benefits, with about $71.8 billion (less than 1%) identified as improper payments, mostly involving recipients receiving excessive amounts.

Musk’s team sought access to an internal data repository at the SSA, which contains extensive personal data about Americans, including financial information, employment records, and addresses for individuals with a Social Security number. “The SSA holds comprehensive medical records of individuals who have applied for disability benefits,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an organization advocating for Social Security expansion. “It has bank information, earnings records, the names and ages of children, and much more.”

Altman warned that allowing Musk’s team access to such data would be a major privacy breach, emphasizing the severity of the situation. Access to this kind of information is generally restricted within the agency due to privacy concerns, according to a former employee. It remains unclear how many of Musk’s team members requested access or whether they succeeded in obtaining it, as well as whether they were granted full employment status within the SSA.

Michelle King had been serving as the acting commissioner since January. She started at the SSA as a bilingual claims representative in 1994 and worked her way up to various senior roles, including CFO and deputy commissioner for operations. Her resignation was first reported by The Washington Post. A family member of King stated she had no comment.

King’s replacement is Leland Dudek, a career SSA official with experience overseeing the agency’s anti-fraud efforts. Dudek did not respond to inquiries. Before being named as the acting commissioner, Dudek had posted on LinkedIn expressing support for Musk’s team and stated he had been assisting their efforts, but his account has since been deleted.

The Senate has yet to consider the nomination of Frank Bisignano, President Trump’s pick to permanently lead the SSA. Bisignano is a financial technology executive who runs a digital payments company.

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields confirmed that Bisignano’s confirmation is expected soon. “In the meantime, the agency will be led by a career anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner,” Fields said in a statement on X. “President Trump remains committed to appointing the most qualified individuals who prioritize the interests of the American people, not the bureaucracies that have failed them.”

Musk’s team has also sought access to sensitive data from other agencies, including the Treasury Department and the IRS. The White House confirmed over the weekend that Musk’s team was in the process of obtaining taxpayer information from the IRS.

Earlier this year, the Treasury Department removed a long-serving career civil servant, David Lebryk, after he resisted allowing Musk’s team access to the government’s vast payment system at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.

Speaking at the White House last week, Musk made unverified claims that a quick review of the SSA’s records revealed people listed as 150 years old receiving benefits. On Saturday evening, he posted an image on X suggesting that deceased individuals were still collecting payments, claiming it was from an SSA database.

Martin O’Malley, who served as SSA commissioner under the Biden administration, dismissed Musk’s assertions. “They’re just making things up,” O’Malley said, referring to Musk’s claim about over a million people being listed in the SSA database as aged 150 to 159. O’Malley also described King as a “consummate civil servant.”