Senate confirms Bisignano to lead Social Security Administration as
agency faces DOGE overhaul
[May 07, 2025]
By FATIMA HUSSEIN
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wall Street veteran Frank Bisignano was confirmed by
the Senate on Tuesday to lead the Social Security Administration, taking
over at a turbulent time for the agency that provides benefits to more
than 70 million Americans.
The Senate confirmed Bisignano in a 53-47 vote.
Bisignano's confirmation comes after a months-long series of
announcements at the Social Security Administration of mass federal
worker layoffs, cuts to programs, office closures and a planned cut to
nationwide Social Security phone services, which were eventually walked
back.
Many of the changes are driven by the Trump administration's Department
of Government Efficiency, headed by billionaire adviser Elon Musk, who
said this week that he is preparing to wind down his role with the
administration. The upheaval has made Social Security a major focus of
Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, who said in his first
public speech since leaving office that Republican President Donald
Trump has “taken a hatchet” to the program.
Bisignano, a self-professed “DOGE person,” has served as chair of
Fiserv, a payments and financial services tech firm since 2020. He is a
one-time defender of corporate policies to protect LGBTQ+ people from
discrimination. Bisignano takes over from the agency’s acting
commissioner, DOGE supporter Leland Dudek. Bisignano's term ends in
January 2031.
Asked during his March confirmation hearing whether Social Security
should be privatized, Bisignano responded: “I’ve never heard a word of
it, and I’ve never thought about it.”
Democrats and activists have for weeks railed against Bisignano's
confirmation, holding rallies and other events protesting his
nomination.
During the final roll call vote, Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden called
Bisignano “unfit” to be the steward of Americans’ Social Security
benefits. Wyden said Trump wants Bisignano to “gut” Social security, and
that Republicans who support Bisignano's confirmation would be to
responsible if their grandmother misses a Social Security check and
can’t pay rent.
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First Data Corp. Chairman & CEO Frank Bisignano is interviewed on
the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Oct. 15, 2015. (AP
Photo/Richard Drew, File)
“By confirming Mr. Bisignano, the Senate will be signing a death
sentence to Social Security as we know it today,” Wyden said.
The chaos at the the agency began shortly after acting commissioner
Michelle King stepped down in February, a move that came after DOGE
sought access to Social Security recipient information. That
prompted a lawsuit by labor unions and retirees, who asked a federal
court to issue an emergency order limiting DOGE’s access to Social
Security data.
Most recently, the full panel of judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals voted 9-6 not to lift restrictions on the access
that DOGE has to Social Security systems containing personal data on
millions of Americans.
Also in February, the agency announced plans to cut 7,000 people
from the agency payroll through layoffs, employee reassignments and
an offer of voluntary separation agreements, as part of an
intensified effort to shrink the size of the federal workforce.
Dudek also announced a plan to require in-person identity checks for
millions of new and existing recipients while simultaneously closing
government offices. That sparked a furor among lawmakers, advocacy
groups and program recipients who are worried that the government is
placing unnecessary barriers in front of an already vulnerable
population. That plan has since been rolled back.
The SSA provides benefits to roughly 72.5 million people, including
retirees and children.
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