Frank Bisignano testifies earlier than the Senate Finance Committee on his nomination to be Commissioner of the Social Safety Administration, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 25, 2025.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Photos
President Donald Trump’s nominee to guide the Social Security Administration, Frank Bisignano, confronted senators’ questions on Tuesday as to how concerned he has been with current adjustments on the company below the Division of Authorities Effectivity.
The unofficial government entity generally known as DOGE has been tasked by the White Home to root out waste, fraud and abuse within the federal authorities, together with on the Social Safety Administration, which offers profit funds to thousands and thousands of People every month.
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Following adjustments put in place by DOGE, together with workers cuts and plans to close field offices, the Social Safety Administration’s cellphone traces usually go unanswered, the web site is crashing and “seniors are getting misplaced within the system,” mentioned Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, rating member of the Senate Finance Committee.
The listening to, Wyden mentioned, offers Bisignano, who’s CEO of economic funds know-how firm Fiserv, to “inform the American folks whose aspect he’s on” — both the aspect of American employees or DOGE “paperwork.”
Fiserv processes 250 million funds per day valued at about $2.5 trillion, Bisignano mentioned Tuesday. The Social Safety Administration handles roughly 74 million funds per thirty days, he mentioned.
If confirmed, Bisignano will likely be accountable for the main Social Safety Administration, which has a “essential mission and quite a few operational and customer support challenges,” mentioned Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.
“I am assured you are as much as the duty,” Crapo informed Bisignano on the listening to.
Whistleblower says nominee will likely be ‘unhealthy for the company’
On the listening to, Wyden launched an announcement from an unidentified “very excessive stage official” on the Social Safety Administration who mentioned Bisignano insisted on approving a number of key DOGE hires on the company and getting frequent briefings.
“This whistleblower has mentioned that this can be a nominee who will likely be unhealthy for the company, and has cited specifics,” mentioned Wyden, who represented the unnamed particular person as “anyone who’s informed the reality” of their profession.
In response, Bisignano mentioned he has by no means talked with Lee Dudek, who’s at the moment the performing commissioner of the Social Safety Administration. Bisignano mentioned he is aware of Michael Russo, who’s at the moment chief info officer on the Social Safety Administration, via earlier roles.
“I do not know him as a DOGE particular person; I do know him as a CIO,” Bisignano mentioned.
When pressed by Wyden to substantiate he would “lock DOGE out” of Social Safety databases, Bisignano mentioned he didn’t know what the time period “lock DOGE out” particularly means.
“I will do no matter is required to guard the knowledge that’s personal info,” Bisignano mentioned.
On March 20, federal choose Ellen Lipton Hollander issued a temporary restraining order that barred DOGE from accessing personally identifiable info on the Social Safety Administration. She additionally informed DOGE associates to delete any such information at the moment of their possession.
That features Social Safety numbers, medical supplier info, medical and psychological well being remedy data, employer and worker fee data, worker earnings, addresses, financial institution data and tax info.
In a February CNBC interview, Bisignano mentioned he “100%” plans to work with DOGE to establish potential waste, fraud and abuse on the company.
“I’m basically a DOGE particular person,” Bisignano mentioned throughout his CNBC look.
When requested to make clear that remark on the Tuesday Senate listening to, Bisignano mentioned he has prioritized effectivity earlier than there was such a phrase as DOGE.
Bisignano additionally mentioned he wouldn’t knowingly permit personally identifiable info to be seen by unauthorized personnel.
Whistleblower worries company actions will ‘hurt seniors’
Within the written assertion, the undisclosed whistleblower, who identifies as a “senior Social Safety Administration worker who lately left the company,” mentioned they’re involved that current actions on the company will negatively influence thousands and thousands of People.
Bisignano often spoke with senior SSA executives and was personally briefed on “key SSA operations, personnel and administration choices,” the whistleblower alleges.
As an unconfirmed nominee, Bisignano requested that senior company executives not rent anybody with out his approval, the whistleblower alleges.
Bisignano personally appointed Russo and has spoken to him often in regards to the company’s operations, the whistleblower alleges of their assertion. He additionally was immediately concerned within the onboarding of legal professional Mark Steffenson, Scott Coulter and DOGE engineer Akash Bobba, the whistleblower writes.
Bisignano was additionally conscious of considerations concerning broad knowledge entry for DOGE workers that had been requested and that it didn’t observe privateness legal guidelines, disclosure insurance policies and inner company controls, the whistleblower states.
The whistleblower included an inventory of 19 people, together with Dudek, Russo and former performing commissioner Michelle King, who they mentioned can confirm their statements.
“Frank Bisignano isn’t within the [Social Security] company and isn’t concerned in any choice making on the company,” Arjun Mody, a Trump transition official, mentioned through electronic mail.
The Social Safety Administration didn’t instantly reply to CNBC’s request for remark.
