Acting Commissioner Michelle King, who was appointed last month, has been removed from her position after attempting to block an investigation into widespread fraud within the Social Security Administration.
The probe, led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aims to uncover fraudulent claims draining the Social Security fund.
King’s abrupt departure follows a dispute over DOGE’s request for access to critical data that could expose large-scale abuse within the agency. The disagreement ultimately led to her exit.
According to sources, President Donald Trump has appointed Leland Dudek, a manager overseeing Social Security’s anti-fraud office, as acting commissioner.
Meanwhile, Frank Bisignano, Trump’s nominee for permanent commissioner, is undergoing Senate vetting. Dudek has previously expressed support for DOGE’s efforts to reduce waste and uncover fraud in federal agencies.
The White House has not commented publicly on the situation. However, officials have emphasized that Musk’s team members are being properly vetted and possess the necessary security clearances to carry out their roles.
The administration has also questioned the efforts of career bureaucrats to withhold federal data, arguing that political appointees should have full access to investigate potential misuse of taxpayer funds.
Trump’s administration has prioritized eliminating government waste, with Social Security alone accounting for nearly $1.5 trillion in annual spending. Conservatives have long argued that the program is plagued by fraudulent disability and retirement claims that previous administrations failed to address.
Musk’s DOGE initiative has already exposed significant corruption in multiple federal agencies, with experts warning that Social Security may be one of the worst offenders.
The White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, Stephen Miller, has previously warned of large-scale fraud operations involving foreign nationals exploiting fake Social Security numbers and identities to siphon billions of dollars from taxpayer-funded programs.
Miller has stated that the full scope of the fraud will not be clear until DOGE gains unrestricted access to Social Security’s records. However, early estimates suggest that eliminating fraudulent claims could potentially save the country over a trillion dollars within the next decade.