Trump's Social Security chief backs down from 'shutting down' agency

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Reuters

March 22, 2025 2:12 PM EDT Updated 4 hours ago


WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Social Security Administration has backed down from "shutting down the agency" after a federal judge rebuked him for misinterpreting a court ruling that limited billionaire Elon Musk's access to agency information.

The agency's leader, Leland Dudek, who has been cooperating with a Musk-led group tasked with reducing government waste, said in a statement on Friday that the court had clarified its ruling."Therefore, I am not shutting down the agency," said Dudek, who was appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump as the agency's acting commissioner.

The Social Security Administration administers benefits for tens of millions of older Americans and people with disabilities. Since taking office in January, Trump has vowed to reduce the size of government, tapping Musk to lead an effort to reduce government waste. Trump and Musk say social security fraud is rampant and that Musk's group, known as DOGE, needs access to agency data to identify people committing fraud to receive benefits payments.

But on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander ruled the agency probably violated privacy laws by giving Musk aides "unbridled access" to the data of millions of Americans. She ordered a halt to detailed record-sharing between Dudek's agency and Musk's DOGE.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-social-security-chief-backs-down-shutting-down-agency-2025-03-22/

[LiberalArkie]

1. Someone showed him the math.

[OldBaldy1701E]

9. Yep.

I suspect it was along the lines of .243+3=6 ft under.

[BOSSHOG]

2. So telling that the head of the SSA

Has to be told to halt record sharing. Felons on a rampage.

[GreenWave]

3. Lock him up until every SS inquiry is PROPERLY handled.

[struggle4progress]

4. "I've decided I wouldn't look good with bullet holes"

[C_U_L8R]

5. Today.

We aren't safe until they are gone.

[FakeNoose]

6. Has Chump hired anyone who ISN'T an idiot?

[Skittles]

7. NOPE

it's pretty much a requirement for being a Trump whore

[RazorbackExpat]

12. Exactly

[LoisB]

8. Surely, you jest.

[mdbl]

10. typical maga repug asshole

there's a huge basked of em'

[Goodtimes240]

11. Retirees

I guess they thought twice about pissing off over 70 million retirees that they are calling "fraudsters." You can be sure they will be back to steal the social security trust fund and our monthly earned benefits for the billionaires.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

13. Welcome to DU