Leland Dudek, a longtime ‘anti-fraud expert‘ at the Social Security Administration (SSA), has been appointed as the agency’s acting chief following the sudden departure of Michelle King. His appointment comes amid growing debate over Elon Musk’s department of government efficiency (DOGE) and its efforts to access sensitive social security data.
Who is Leland Dudek?
Dudek, who previously led the SSA’s fraud investigation office, has spent his career working to combat fraud within the agency. However, his cooperation with DOGE nearly cost him his job. In a now-deleted post by The Daily Wire., Dudek revealed that he had been placed on administrative leave for working with DOGE officials to identify inefficiencies within SSA.
“At 4.30pm EST, my boss called me to tell me I had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation,” he wrote on his LinkedIn. “They want to fire me for cooperating with DOGE.”
Just days later, the tables turned. Instead of being dismissed, Dudek was reinstated and given a major promotion, taking over King’s role as acting commissioner.
The LinkedIn post read: “I confess. I helped DOGE understand SSA. I mailed myself publicly accessible documents and explained them to DOGE. I confess. I moved contractor money around to add data science resources to my anti-fraud team. I confess. I asked where the fat was and is in our contracts so we can make the right tough choices.”
“I confess. I bullied agency executives, shared executive contact information, and circumvented the chain of command to connect DOGE with the people who get stuff done,” the post continued. “Everything I have ever done is in service to our country, our beneficiaries, and our agency.”
Dudek’s vision for SSA
Dudek has vowed to lead SSA with transparency. In an email to staff, he emphasised his commitment to protecting the agency’s integrity. Meanwhile, critics fear that his appointment signals greater DOGE influence over social security data.
Republican lawmakers have welcomed the leadership change, with Senator Mike Lee’s spokesperson, Billy Gribbin, stating, “There are many good civil servants who have been quietly frustrated for years with politically-motivated mismanagement… Put them in charge, hand them scalpels and flamethrowers.”
Dudek will serve as acting commissioner until Trump’s nominee, Frank Bisignano, is confirmed by the Senate. His appointment marks a significant shift in the agency’s direction, with debates raging over whether his leadership will enhance anti-fraud efforts or compromise the security of millions of Americans’ private data.
Michelle King’s departure
Michelle King’s resignation has raised significant questions, with reports suggesting she was pushed out after resisting DOGE’s attempts to access the SSA’s Enterprise Data Warehouse, a hub containing sensitive information on millions of Americans. According to Nancy Altman, president of advocacy group Social Security Works, King stood her ground against DOGE’s efforts.
“She was standing in the way and they moved her out of the way,” Altman was quoted as saying CBS News. “They put someone in who presumably they thought would cooperate with them and give them the keys to all our personal data.”
The White House has not provided a reason for King’s departure, but her exit follows a pattern of high-ranking officials resigning or being removed amid concerns about DOGE’s expanding reach.
Concerns over data access
DOGE, created under Trump’s administration and heavily influenced by his adviser Elon Musk, has been accused of overreach, with reports suggesting it has already accessed Treasury payment systems and is seeking entry into Internal Revenue Service (IRS) databases. Altman warned that SSA’s data contains highly sensitive records, including information on nearly every American with a Social Security number.
“There is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is,” Altman told The Associated Press. “If there is an evil intent to punish perceived enemies, someone could erase your earnings record, making it impossible to collect the Social Security and Medicare benefits you have earned.”