Social Security Head Still Relying On DOGE To Revamp Agency After Musk’s Exit


Frank Bisignano, the new head of the Social Security Administration (SSA), is placing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the center of his efforts to revamp the agency, despite Elon Musk’s recent departure from the Trump administration.

“I look at them as a resource to help me,” Bisignano said of DOGE staffers’ efforts to help him modernize the agency. The chief also described himself as “fundamentally a DOGE person” in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published Monday.

Bisignano made his comments after Musk’s departure as a special government employee was already underway but before last week’s social-media clash with President Donald Trump. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Social Security Fraud Just Tip Of The Iceberg, Trump’s New Commissioner Says)

Following this year’s shake-up — during which DOGE-led initiatives resulted in significant job cuts and fears of potential field office closures — Bisignano is focused on rebuilding trust both within the agency and with the public.

After being sworn in on May 7, Bisignano expressed his goal to turn SSA into a “digital-first organization,” making it easier for people to complete routine tasks — such as replacing a lost Social Security card — without needing to speak to a representative.

He noted that those who prefer speaking with a person would still have that choice, allowing the agency to focus more resources on complex issues, according to the WSJ report.

The agency implemented a new policy in March requiring phone applicants for retirement benefits to verify their identities either online or in person, prompting complaints.

The policy was later reversed to allow full claims by phone.

As part of his new agenda, Bisignano plans to move the bulk of the roughly six million Social Security card replacement requests each year to digital channels such as online portals and automated phone systems. (RELATED: Social Security Administration Backs Off Phone Cuts After Public Outcry)

The contentious split between Trump and Musk has raised questions about the future of DOGE and its staff. White House representatives affirmed that DOGE’s efforts have been successful and will continue, the report notes.

Former SSA staff say many employees remain wary of DOGE, accusing its personnel of sidestepping agency protocols to access sensitive data, the report added.

“I think we should get away from focusing on head count to focus on what our objective is, which is to do a great job for the public,” he told the WSJ.

Bisignano also alleged that Americans’ personal data remains secure and emphasized that DOGE’s efforts are exclusively concentrated on improving the agency’s technology.

A lower court blocked DOGE from accessing agency systems and ordered the deletion of collected personal data on March 20.

Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander, an Obama-appointed judge, ruled that DOGE had not provided a clear justification for needing “unlimited access” to the records system.

The Supreme Court lifted the ban on Friday, allowing access to resume after the Trump administration requested in May that the justices pause a district court judge’s preliminary injunction blocking the SSA DOGE team from accessing certain records.

The court’s order stated, “We conclude that, under the present circumstances, SSA may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work.”

Bisignano said he received the request from Trump to lead the SSA in December.

He added that his experience in the private sector experience would help him transform the agency while remaining within the proposed $14.8 billion budget for the coming fiscal year.

“I am generally capable of doing more with less,” he told WSJ.

Echoing President Donald Trump’s stance, Bisignano has emphasized that he has no plans to reduce Social Security benefits, pointing out that any changes to benefit levels would fall under Congress’s authority.

“It’s ridiculous to suggest I’d be doing anything other than trying to strengthen the program,” he told WSJ.

Social Security, which serves around 70 million Americans, currently employs about 52,000 workers — down from 57,000 earlier this year, the report notes.

In response to these staffing declines, Bisignano has begun touring call centers, processing facilities, and field offices to gain firsthand insight into daily operations and assess the workforce needed to effectively deliver services.





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