Social Security's acting leader faces calls to resign over decision to
cut Maine contracts
[April 03, 2025]
By FATIMA HUSSEIN and PATRICK WHITTLE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration's acting
commissioner is facing calls to resign after he issued an order — which
was quickly rescinded — that would have required Maine parents to
register their newborns for Social Security numbers at a federal office
rather than the hospital.
Newly unearthed emails show that the March 5 decision was made as
political payback to Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat who has defied
the Trump administration’s push to deny federal funding to the state
over transgender athletes.
In the email addressed to the agency's staff, acting commissioner Leland
Dudek said, “no money will go from the public trust to a petulant
child.” Staff members warned that terminating the contracts would result
in improper payments and the potential for identity theft.
Dudek's order initially drew widespread condemnation from medical
organizations and public officials, who described it as unnecessary and
punitive. The practice of allowing parents to register a newborn for a
Social Security number at a hospital or other birthing site, called the
Enumeration at Birth program, has been common for decades.
Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree, one of two House members from Maine,
said Dudek should resign immediately. She characterized Dudek’s actions
as retaliation for Mills publicly opposing President Donald Trump, a
Republican.
“If a federal agency can be turned into a political hit squad at the
whim of an acting appointee, what checks remain on executive power?
Commissioner Dudek’s vindictive actions against Maine represent a
fundamental betrayal of public trust that disqualifies him from public
service,” Pingree said.
Mills said Wednesday that Social Security is being subjected to “rushed
and reckless cuts” and needs leadership that treats it like a public
trust. She said that is especially important in Maine, which has a high
number of recipients.
“Social Security is not a scheme, as some have said, it’s a covenant
between our government and its people. The Social Security
Administration’s leadership must act in a manner that reflects this
solemn obligation,” Mills said.
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., ranking member of the House Oversight
Committee, sent a letter to Dudek on Tuesday calling for his immediate
resignation and a request that he sit for an interview with the
committee.
“The American people deserve answers about your activities and
communications in the time between President Trump’s February 21, 2025,
public threat to Governor Mills and your February 27, 2025, order to
cancel the enumeration at birth and electronic death registration
contracts with the state of Maine, and about your knowledge that
cancelling these contracts would lead to increased waste, fraud, and
abuse," Connolly said in his letter.
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Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address,
Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. Mills vetoed on
Tuesday, April 23, 2024, a bill to establish a minimum hourly wage
for agricultural workers that she initially submitted herself. (AP
Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Connolly, in a letter on Tuesday, said Democrats on the House
Oversight Committee obtained internal emails from the Social
Security Administration that he says shows Dudek canceled the
contracts to retaliate politically against Maine.
A representative from the Social Security Administration did not
immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
Dudek, on a March 18 call with reporters to preview the agency's
tighter identity-proofing measures, initially said the cancellation
of the Maine contract happened “because I screwed up,” adding that
he believed that the contract looked strange. “I made the wrong move
there. I should always ask my staff for guidance first, before I
cancel something. I’m new at this job."
He added, "Well, I was upset at the governor’s treatment, and I
indicated in email as such, but the actual fact of the matter was it
looked like a strange contract.”
“I'm not interested in political retaliation. I’m interested in
serving the public.”
Maine has been the subject of federal investigations since Mills
sparked the ire of Trump at a meeting of governors at the White
House in February. During the meeting, Trump threatened to pull
federal funding from Maine if the state does not comply with his
executive order barring transgender athletes from sports.
Mills responded: “We’ll see you in court.”
The Trump administration then opened investigations into whether
Maine violated the Title IX antidiscrimination law by allowing
transgender athletes to participate in girls' sports. The Education
Department issued a final warning on Monday that the state could
face Justice Department enforcement soon if it doesn't come into
compliance soon.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins also said Wednesday
that the department is pausing federal funds for some Maine
educational programs because of Title IX noncompliance.
___
Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine.
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