The best social security officials descend after the disagreement with DOGE on sensitive data

Michelle King, the principal head of the Social Security Administration, left her post this weekend after refusing a request from the Elon Musk government ministry to access sensitive files of the agency’s government, according to Two sources familiar with the situation.

White House spokesman Harrison Fields confirmed that King was no longer the agency chief in a statement.

“President Trump appointed the very qualified and talented Frank Bisignano to direct the Social Security Administration, and we expect him to be confirmed quickly in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the agency will be led by an expert in anti-fraud of social security career as an acting commissioner. President Trump is committed to appointing the best and most qualified people who devote himself to working on behalf of the American people, not to appease the bureaucracy that has been running them for too long, “said Fields.

The Washington Post was the first to report the departure of King.

One of the sources familiar with the situation, Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works, a left -wing group on the protection and enlargement of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, told NBC News that she had learned The situation after talking with several current officials at the agency.

Altman said that some of the information involved in the dispute included the banking information of the Americans, the social security numbers, the profits files, the matrimonial statutes, the birth dates and in some cases medical files if a person has asked for disability services.

“It has been replaced as an acting commissioner because she would not have access to sensitive information,” said Altman about King. “So she was replaced by someone who will probably do so. But she was not forced to leave the agency. It was his choice. It was the choice of the White House not to let it be head of the agency. »»

President Donald Trump appointed Leland Dudek, head of the anti-fraud office of Social Security, as an acting commissioner of the social security administration now that King is absent.

Altman criticized the request for Doge of King and the Social Security Administration.

“I don’t think you can overestimate the gravity of this violation,” said Altman. “Social Security Administration information is many personal data that most people wish to keep deprived and they have entrusted to the government through income declarations and through their employers sending declarations. The hypothesis is that the government will be very careful with it. »»

King, who has been working on Social Security Administration for decades, has chosen to retire, said Altman.

The SSA did not immediately return a comment request.

King’s departure is the last of a wave of senior officials outings whose agencies have entered the Doge’s reticle.

The agency is responsible for managing payments of more than 70 million Americans. Trump promised not to promulgate discounts on retirement services.

In an interview with Fox News, the press secretary of the White House, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed that the president “had ordered Elon Musk and the Doge team to identify fraud with social security administration”. She said that the team had not “dug in books”, they suspected that a general fraud occurred.

The Inspector General of the SSA published a report in July which revealed that between 2015 and 2022, only 0.84% ​​of the payments of the services were inappropriate.

This is not the first time that Doge has been a meticulous examination On attempts to access sensitive information. An employee affiliated with DOGE at the Rété Service internal should seek access to an IRS Housing Sensitive Taxpayer Information system, an administration official at NBC News said on Sunday.

DOGE also accessed the Treasury Department’s payment system at the beginning of the month, which stores social security numbers and other confidential financial information. Several proceedings were then filed by affirming that Doge’s access to these data violated the federal confidentiality laws. The lawyers of the Ministry of Justice then agreed to temporarily restrict Doge’s access to the systems of the Treasury Department, except for two employees given the access “Read only” “if necessary”.

A judge was later temporarily blocked by -law and government’s special employees – including those working at DOGE – access to sensitive and confidential information stored within the Treasury.

Internal security secretary Kristi Noem also said this month that Trump authorized Musk to access data on disasters hosted within FEMA.