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Top #SocialSecurity official exits after clash with #Musk’s #DOGE over #data
Yet another top career staffer is leaving the administration amid a disagreement over a request by #ElonMusk’s team for sensitive government #information.
#law #privacy #Trump #InfoSec
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/17/doge-social-security-musk/
The acting commissioner of the #SocialSecurity Administration left her job this weekend after a clash with billionaire #ElonMusk’s US #DOGE Service over its attempts to access sensitive government records, 3 people familiar with her departure said Monday.
Michelle King, who spent several decades at the agency before being named its acting commissioner last month, left her position Sunday after the disagreement, the people said.
#Trump appointed Leland Dudek, a manager in charge of #SocialSecurity’s anti-fraud office, as acting commissioner while Frank Bisignano, Trump’s nom for permanent commissioner, is vetted by the Senate, acc/to 3 individuals…. A public announcement is expected this week. Dudek had posted positive remarks on #socialmedia about #DOGE’s efforts to cut costs and search for fraud in federal agencies, acc/to 2 of the individuals. [that’s all it takes in this admin
]
In selecting Dudek, #Trump bypassed dozens of other senior executives who sat higher in the agency’s leadership hierarchy, touching off alarm in & around the agency, which has already faced years of budget & staffing difficulties.
“At this rate, they will break it. And they will break it fast, & there will be an interruption of #benefits,” said Martin O’Malley, the #SocialSecurity commissioner under the Biden admin & a fmr Maryland governor.
“It’s a shame…to disregard 120 senior executive service people,” O’Malley said. “To pick an acting commissioner that is not in the senior executive service sends a message that professional people should leave….”
On #FauxNews on Mon evening, WH press sec Leavitt said she had been fighting “fake news reporters” who had been trying to “fearmonger” about #SocialSecurity payments. Leavitt said #Trump had directed #ElonMusk only to ID “fraud”…, & that seniors’ retirement #benefits would be protected.
The #SocialSecurity Administration is responsible for managing #pension payments for >70 million American #seniors & manages significant troves of personal #data, including those related to Americans’ work & pay history, & where they live. It was not immediately clear precisely which data #ElonMusk associates wanted or the exact circumstances leading to King’s departure.
#ElonMusk’s associates already sought access to records that are typically closely held across the federal #government, prompting disputes w/senior officials across numerous #FederalAgencies. The highest-ranking civil servant at the #Treasury Dept recently resigned after refusing to grant #DOGE access to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which manages >$5R in annual payments.
On Sunday, WaPo reported that #DOGE is seeking access to a heavily guarded system at the #IRS w/detailed #financial #information about every #taxpayer, #business & #nonprofit in the country, & #ElonMusk’s associates have also sought access to sensitive information at the #Labor Dept.
“What I know is that #DOGE wanted access to #SSA’s sensitive files — the same way they’re trying to do at #Labor & #Treasury — & the acting commissioner wouldn’t give it, & she was replaced,” said Nancy Altman, president of #SocialSecurity Works….
#ElonMusk has increasingly turned his attention to Social Security in recent days, arguing that the program is rife with fraud & erroneous payments without offering evidence for his claim.
King, a career staffer, has worked at the agency since 1994, per the agency’s website. She has held snr positions in its Office of #Retirement & #Disability Policy & the Office of #Budget, #Finance & Mgmt.
The #SocialSecurity Admin’s records include all SSNs, comprehensive #medical records for those who have applied for disability #benefits, #bank info, earnings records & more…
“There is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is,” she said.
@Nonilex i don't understand all the inner workings of the government, but if Trump can flaunt the law and tell the courts "make me" why can't the high level staff at social security, treasury, irs do the same thing. I don't care if you say you want the data, I'm not giving it to you, "Make me"
@Nonilex Musk's people didn't understand the ancient Cobol code that used 1875 for a missing date. That is why he claimed that there were people claiming to be 150 years old. But none of those accounts were getting checks.
https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-doge-social-security-150-year-old-benefits/
@stuart_begg Don’t count on it.
@Nonilex Ugh - I wish these 'leaders' of organizations wouldn't resign, but rather make the fascists remove them.
They've lived cushy well-paid lives with all the privileges for a long time, they should have some backbone rather than a vague waving of their principles before they hand everything over to a toady appointee.
Elon unplugs a server rack....
OOPS
Seriously though, if there is an interruption of benefts tens of thousands of older Americans might die. Even a two week interruption might cause a large number of excess deaths. I've been looking into this scenario for a while already.
A four week interruption of benefits would kill thousands of seniors, cause panic and widespread economic disruption.
Trump's plan is to blame Elon for any bad outcome but he won't stop him from unplugging the servers or firing the people required to keep payments flowing.
@dangrsmind @Nonilex
The silver lining of all this chaos is that Americans are learning the value of their federal government. It’s a bit late, but I’m hopeful that they will realize and rise up to block the destruction.
@dangrsmind @Nonilex Every time a federal service is broken, another group of citizens learn. The numbers will grow as more pieces are broken. Polls saying that “muskrat is good for US” are plummeting rapidly.
I don't see that.
The majority of Americans don't want Elon involved at all but he is still in there breaking things.
Trump likes chaos and especially if he can blame someone else for bad things that happen.
@dangrsmind @Nonilex I have hope. Hope and fury.
@ELS i hope so. I do have one relative who is seeing all this happen and still thinks it won’t affect her. She still thinks what they’re doing is wonderful. It’s like talking to a cult member. She sees what’s happening but fully believes any pain will be “worth it”
@Nonilex
Implying that disabled people are the "waste and fraud"?
So, burn OSHA , NIH , DoE down, wait for people to become handicapped from lack of safety protocols and simple ignorance, then deny paying SSDI.
- That - is how it's planning to "save" $2 trillion in government spending?
@Nonilex I have little doubt my traumatic brain injury disability will be considered "fraud". guess I'll just have to start selling fentanyl to Republican high school kids (totally kidding! i know it's not funny, but neither is this).
@Nonilex Trump’s backside must be so clean with so many licking it