President Donald Trump has appointed Leland Dudek, an experienced fraud detection specialist, as the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) following the resignation of Michelle King, a longtime agency veteran. King reportedly stepped down after refusing to grant access to sensitive records requested by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Dudek, who currently oversees SSA’s anti-fraud operations, will manage the agency while Trump’s nominee for permanent commissioner, Frank Bisignano, awaits Senate confirmation.
The move is quite the reversal for the longtime civil servant, writes The Daily Wire. He was nearly fired for working with DOGE before the administration got wind of King’s moves and struck first.
“At 4:30pm EST, my boss called me to tell me I had been placed on administrative leave pending an Investigation,” Dudek wrote on LinkedIn. “They want to fire me for cooperating with DOGE,” he wrote in a now-deleted post obtained by The Daily Wire.
Then, a stunning reversal occurred. Acting Social Security Commissioner Michelle King, was fired. And Dudek was reinstated — to take her job leading the massive agency on an interim basis.
The LinkedIn post said “I confess. I helped DOGE understand SSA. I mailed myself publicly accessible documents and explained them to DOGE. I confess. I moved contractor money around to add data science resources to my anti-fraud team. I confess. I asked where the fat was and is in our contracts so we can make the right tough choices.”
“I confess. I bullied agency executives, shared executive contact information, and circumvented the chain of command to connect DOGE with the people who get stuff done,” it continued. “Everything I have ever done is in service to our country, our beneficiaries, and our agency.”
The leadership shift follows growing concerns about fraud within federal entitlement programs, an issue Musk has repeatedly criticized, noted The Washington Post.
Internal SSA data has supported concerns about potential vulnerabilities. A report from the Office of Inspector General found that out of the 18.9 million Social Security number holders over the age of 100, approximately 44,000 were still receiving benefits. The same report estimated that 86,000 individuals in that age group may still be alive, emphasizing the need for improved system integrity.
Dudek’s appointment has reportedly unsettled SSA’s senior leadership. Some high-ranking officials felt sidelined in favor of a mid-level administrator, raising concerns about agency morale and continuity. Former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley, who served under President Joe Biden, warned that ongoing political interference could destabilize benefits. He suggested that overlooking senior executive service officials for the acting commissioner role could further erode experienced leadership within the agency.
King’s resignation reflects broader tensions across federal agencies, particularly as DOGE pushes for increased oversight. A similar dispute recently unfolded within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over DOGE’s access to taxpayer records.
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