The Social Security Administration (SSA) is facing unprecedented scrutiny as Acting Commissioner Michelle King has stepped down after refusing to provide the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) access to sensitive data. This resignation comes amid warnings of potential benefit interruptions and explosive claims of widespread fraud within the system.
Social Security Leadership Crisis
According to multiple sources, Acting Commissioner Michelle King resigned over the weekend following a dispute with Elon Musk’s Doge team regarding access to sensitive Social Security data. The White House has confirmed King is no longer leading the agency.
The administration has appointed Leland Dudek, previously a manager in the Social Security’s anti-fraud office, as the new acting commissioner. Dudek will lead the agency until Frank Bisignano, President Trump’s nominee, is confirmed by the Senate in the coming weeks.
In his first statement as acting commissioner, Dudek said: “I will lead this agency in an open and transparent manner. My first call as acting commissioner was to our Inspector General office to provide them an opportunity to oversee and review any and all agency activity, including my actions past, present, and future. Transparency is at the heart of good government.”
Warning of Potential Benefit Disruptions
Former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley, who served under the Biden administration, has warned that the current upheaval could lead to interruptions in Social Security benefits, which are sent to approximately 73 million Americans each 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 told The Washington Post.
The SSA is responsible for distributing monthly payments to tens of millions of retirees, disabled Americans, and other beneficiaries, making any potential disruption a significant concern for vulnerable populations.
Explosive Claims of Widespread Fraud
The leadership crisis comes as Musk has publicized data suggesting significant irregularities in the Social Security system. Last week, Musk shared a spreadsheet showing what he claims are millions of Social Security accounts for individuals who would be well over 100 years old—many supposedly between 110-159 years old—with “death field set to false.”
According to Musk’s published data, there are approximately:
- 6 million accounts for people in their 90s
- 4.7 million accounts for people aged 100-119
- 3.6 million accounts for people aged 110-119
- 3.4 million accounts for people aged 120-129
- 3.9 million accounts for people aged 130-139
- 3.5 million accounts for people aged 140-149
- 1.3 million accounts for people aged 150-159
Even more surprisingly, Musk claims the SSA has approximately 395 million active accounts, despite the U.S. population being only about 335 million.
During a White House appearance with President Trump last week, Musk stated that “a cursory examination of Social Security showed that payments were being sent to people that are 150 years old.”
Doge Sets Sights on IRS Next
As the Social Security Administration grapples with this leadership change, sources confirm that Doge is now preparing to examine the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Fox News has reported that Doge will soon have access to the IRS Integrated Data Retrieval System, which contains sensitive taxpayer information. Harrison Fields, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, defended this move, saying: “Access to this system is necessary to identify fraud and fix the system. Waste, fraud, and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long.”
The IRS system allows workers to access taxpayer accounts, research account information, enter transactions, collect information, and automatically generate notices and documents.
Democrats Push Back
Democratic lawmakers are mounting opposition to Doge’s expanding reach. Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote to the IRS Acting Commissioner on Monday demanding “immediate disclosure of the full extent of the potential access to IRS systems and data granted to the US Doge Service.”
The senators argued that “Musk’s software engineers have no right to hover or hoover up taxpayer data and send that data back to any other part of the federal government and may be breaking law if they are doing so.”
Additionally, attorney generals from 14 states, primarily Democratic-led, are suing to block Doge from accessing federal data, arguing that the administration has engaged in illegal executive overreach.
Public Response Divided
The Doge investigations have sparked protests across the country. A group calling itself the “5051 Movement” organized nationwide demonstrations on Presidents’ Day against what they call government overreach.
However, supporters of the administration argue that the investigations are necessary to identify waste and protect taxpayer dollars. They point to the alleged irregularities in the Social Security database as evidence that reform is desperately needed.
Rep. Eric Burlison, a member of the subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, defended Musk’s efforts: “It’s clear that there are not systems in place that do obvious checks on things like this.”
What This Means for Beneficiaries
For the millions of Americans who rely on Social Security benefits, the immediate concern is whether payments will be interrupted. While warnings have been issued, the White House has not indicated any plans to pause or delay benefits.
The Trump administration has repeatedly promised not to cut Social Security benefits. In fact, President Trump has proposed eliminating taxes on Social Security payments, which would effectively increase benefits for approximately 40% of recipients who currently pay federal income tax on their benefits.
