Dems call for Bisignano to withdraw as SSA tweaks controversial plan

Senate Democrats on Wednesday called on President Trump to withdraw the nomination of Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration, citing the finance executive’s improper contact with agency and DOGE officials prior to his confirmation and track record as a “cutter” in the private sector.

At Bisignano’s confirmation hearing Tuesday, he denied allegations that he had been in frequent contact both with Social Security Administration executives and operatives from Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency. This was despite the release of a whistleblower account accusing him not only breaching rules preventing presidential nominees from performing duties before they are confirmed by the Senate but also intervening to accelerate the onboarding of DOGE operatives at the agency and demanding that agency hires be cleared with him personally.

Democratic senators on Wednesday, armed with a report in The Washington Post independently corroborating the whistleblower’s testimony, told reporters that Bisignano’s nomination should be pulled.

“This nominee, Frank Bisignano, lied to the Senate Finance Committee about his involvement with DOGE since his nomination in December,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the panel’s top Democrat. “Here’s what happened: the whistleblower reached out to my staff, and their testimony shows that the nominee appears to be the puppet master behind the chaos at Social Security . . . There’s a trust gap between the nominee and the American people before he’s even gotten in the door. He hand-picked DOGE agents and pressured Social Security employees to cut corners to get them on the job faster.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that Bisignano’s career ascent in business has been paved with layoffs and other workforce reductions. At SSA, which currently sits at a 50-year staffing low despite an ever-growing customer base and declining customer service metrics, such an approach would be disastrous, he argued.

“The goal is clear: to destroy Social Security from within, and make it so unworkable, so inefficient that Trump has the pretext to slash benefits to kill it and then privatize the program,” Schumer said. “Everything they’re doing now is in effect a benefit cut . . . They’re killing Social Security by strangling it, by not letting it work and making it so that it’s impossible for people to get help and to get their benefits.”

Social Security partially walks back ‘anti-fraud’ plan

At agency headquarters Wednesday, SSA’s acting leadership announced that it would exempt some Social Security applicants from its controversial new plan to end phone service for benefits applications and changes to direct deposit information, under the guise of protecting against fraud.

“We have listened to our customers, Congress, advocates and others, and we are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations,” said acting Commissioner Leland Dudek in a statement. “In addition to extending the policy’s effective date by two weeks to ensure our employees have the training they need to help customers, Medicare, Disability and SSI applicants will be exempt from in-person identity proofing because multiple opportunities exist during the decision process to verify a person’s identity.”

But the change does not impact retirement applications, which are by far the most common type of case SSA receives. Internal memos regarding the proposal warned that it could increase foot traffic at field offices by between 75,000 to 85,000 customers per week, all at a time when the agency is looking to shed 7,000 workers and is contemplating closing facilities across the country.

And Dudek’s comment that “multiple opportunities exist” to verify an applicant’s identity during the exempted processes suggests the agency could still require an in-person visit, just not at the beginning. Still, the announcement prompted praise from Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled, a nonprofit that advocates for disabled Americans.

“We applaud the Social Security Administration for giving such close and prompt attention to the concerns expressed by claimants and the community of representatives who serve them,” said former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a member of ACRD’s advisory board. “Ensuring fair and accessible processes for people is no small task, and SSA’s announcement is a welcome sign that the needs of our most vulnerable citizens are recognized.”