 "US Social Security chief Michelle King quits amid 'conflicts' with Doge, White House appoints Dudek as successor")
A month after she was named acting commissioner for Social Security following over three decades with the agency, Michelle King on Tuesday stepped down from her role reportedly after conflicts with Doge.
According to BBC’s US partner CBS News, citing a Trump administration official, King had been replaced by Leland Dudek, who previously led the agency’s fraud investigation office.
Dudek apparently replaced King before King stepped down, added the report.
Nancy Altman, president of the advocacy group Social Security Works, told CBS that Doge’s employees had attempted to gain access to a database containing sensitive Social Security information, and that King had been hesitant to grant them that access.
“She was standing in the way and they moved her out of the way,” Altman was quoted as saying.
King’s departure is the latest of several high-ranking officials concerned about requests from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
According to ABC News report, it’s not clear if Doge employees ultimately gained access to the system following the dispute with King.
An email message sent to all SSA staff from Dudek tonight said he was “humbled and honored to lead this agency” until Trump’s pick to lead Social Security, Frank Bisignano, is confirmed by the Senate.
“I will lead this agency in an open and transparent manner. My first call as Acting Commissioner was to our Inspector General’s office to provide them an opportunity to oversee and review any and all agency activities, including my actions past, present, and future. Transparency is at the heart of good government,” ABC News quoted Dudek as writing in the email.
Impact Shorts
View AllWhen asked for comment, White House Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields reiterated the White House’s expectation that Bisignano will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
“In the meantime, the agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner. President Trump is committed to appointing the best and most qualified individuals who are dedicated to working on behalf of the American people, not to appease the bureaucracy that has failed them for far too long,” Fields said in a statement.
With inputs from agencies
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