In an exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal, Frank Bisignano, the newly confirmed SSA Commissioner, said that although Elon Musk may be out, DOGE is alive and well at SSA and will be carrying the agency into the digital age. Although staffing has been reduced to 52,000 from 58,000 (and nearly 68,000 in 2010), Bisignano said he is focused on agency objectives that prioritize enhancing customer service, reducing waste, fraud, and abuse, and optimizing its workforce towards direct public service.
Bisignano said Americans’ personal data is secure, and DOGE is solely focused on the agency’s technology.
His résumé includes years as chief executive officer of payment processing giant Fiserv. He has also held top jobs at JPMorgan Chase and First Data Corp. He said his private-sector experience would help him execute the technology-focused overhaul and stay within the agency’s $14.8 billion budget request for the fiscal year that begins next October. “I am generally capable of doing more with less,” said Bisignano.
Like Trump, Bisignano said he has no plan to cut Social Security benefits—in fact, doing so would be Congress’s responsibility. “The idea that I’d be doing anything other than trying to bolster it up is just crazy,” Bisignano said.
Read the full interview here. (Subscription required)