The specter of DOGE hangs over Social Security hearing
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Senators had a lot of questions Tuesday for Frank Bisignano, the president's nominee for Social Security commissioner — but hovering over it all was the specter of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
Why it matters: Social Security might be one of the few federal agencies targeted by Musk that is viewed as essential on both sides of the aisle, but it is facing a moment of DOGE-driven disruption that advocates and former officials warn could break the system.
- "It's hard to overstate the importance of Social Security," said Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who chairs the finance committee.
Catch up quick: Bisignano, a Wall Street veteran, is the CEO of financial technology firm Fiserv.
- At Tuesday's confirmation hearing, he portrayed himself as something of a crisis manager-slash-corporate fixer: "I will make the agency a premier services organization, as I have done multiple times with other institutions throughout my career."
Reality check: While Bisgnano clearly knows how to drive operations in the private sector, advocates point out that Social Security is a different beast.
- Some inefficiencies are baked into the system, which will make it hard for Bisignano to follow through on some of his plans to drive efficiency.
Zoom in: At the hearing, unlike President Trump and Musk, Bisignano didn't repeat debunked information about the program. Instead, he used real agency stats, like its less-than-1% error rate, which he said was too high.
- When asked if Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, as Musk has stated, Bisignano wouldn't say yes or no, only that the program is "a promise to pay."
- The only time he came close to criticism was when he was asked about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's comment that only fraudsters would complain if they missed a check: "I don't think anyone would appreciate not getting their Social Security check on time," Bisignano said.
Social Security should "meet beneficiaries where they want to be met," he said repeatedly — whether that's in-person, on the Internet or over the phone.
- Yet, he didn't address the DOGE-driven cuts to phone service that are set to take effect in less than a week.
- The dissonance "was confusing to me," said Kathleen Romig, a former analyst and senior adviser at the agency, who is now with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
What's next: Bisignano is likely to be confirmed. The only real question was one he mostly ducked: Will he continue to make changes at DOGE's behest or course-correct?
- In February, he told CNBC he's "fundamentally a DOGE person."
- At the end of the hearing, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) gave him the opportunity to walk that back. "My guess is what you were saying is that you're fundamentally an efficiency-driven person," Tillis said.
- The response: "I was driving efficiency before there was such a word going on as DOGE."
When asked by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) what grade he'd give DOGE, he did not answer.
- Instead, Bisignano appeared to throw acting commissioner Lee Dudek under the bus: "I don't know if this is a DOGE issue; I think we have a leadership issue."
- Dudek has said repeatedly that DOGE is directing his decisions.
What they're saying: "I was personally not reassured," said Martha Shedden, president of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts, a group for those who help Americans navigate benefits claims.
The bottom line: The whole hearing turned into a bit of a DOGE dodge.
