Social Security head resigns over DOGE data push
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The Social Security Administration's top official resigned over the weekend in the latest clash over the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) access to sensitive government records, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The agency is quickly becoming a target of Elon Musk, who has claimed without conclusive evidence that there's rampant fraud from improper payments to dead people.
Driving the news: Acting commissioner Michelle King, who worked at the agency for over 30 years, left her position after refusing to give DOGE staffers access to sensitive information.
- President Trump appointed Leland Dudek — who runs the Social Security Administration's anti-fraud office — as acting commissioner while his permanent pick, Frank Bisignano, awaits Senate confirmation.
Between the lines: "Administration officials have also been skeptical of career employees' efforts to guard federal data, maintaining that political appointees should also be able to access it, particularly if necessary to root out wasteful or erroneous spending," the Post reports.
- The Treasury Department's highest-ranking civil servant resigned under similar circumstances last month.
Go deeper: DOGE's "AI-first" strategy courts disaster
