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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.
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.
@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”