Social Security Commissioner Fails to Reassure Lawmakers About Data Breaches
In a befuddling appearance before the House Ways and Means Committee, Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano failed to reassure lawmakers of both parties that he has a handle on a range of issues in his purview — including the mishandling of Americans’ personal data. Bisignano disappointed lawmakers (and seniors’ advocates alike) with seemingly unprepared responses to important questions. His performance seemed to confirm what critics have suspected — that Trump’s naming Bisignano to the twin roles of Social Security chief and “CEO” of the IRS (a title the Trump administration hastily concocted) has left the commissioner in over his head.
“Bisignano’s responses to lawmakers’ questions on a range of issues were often vague and repetitive,” reported Politico. “He (also) appeared to be unfamiliar with the tax implications of President Donald Trump’s 2025 megabill.” It probably doesn’t help that before Trump appointed him, Bisignano had no experience in government or public policy, and joked that he had to Google the job of Social Security Commissioner when offered the post.
While the hearing was focused on Bisignano’s “side job” with the IRS, Rep. John Larson (D-CT) took the opportunity to raise some urgent questions regarding Social Security data breaches committed by DOGE that have dominated headlines. “(Americans’) personal data and information are being pored over by outside groups that are unaccountable, have never been vetted, and are in these agencies,” Larson warned. Bisignano declined to address the issue — and invited Larson to discuss the data breaches some other time.
From @RepJohnLarson on X
Some of the dissatisfaction with the commissioner’s testimony was bipartisan. Republican congressman Max Miller (OH) excoriated Bisignano for evading questions about tax policy. “This is unacceptable… I am very embarrassed right now for my side,” Miller snapped, blasting Bisignano’s advisors: “You need to do a better job of educating the commissioner. I would never let them walk into a hearing like this.” Ouch.
Bisignano’s self-own in front of the committee underscores advocates’ objections to the recklessness — and contempt for competent governance — that is the hallmark of Trump 2.0. We have observed that the Trump administration appears to be running the Social Security Administration as if it were a tech company to be sold and gutted by private equity. This is not altogether surprising as the commissioner was formerly CEO of a Wall Street financial services firm that saw its stock prices and market capitalization take a nosedive last year.
Bisignano’s tenure at the Social Security Administration has been marked by trauma and chaos. As Commissioner, he has done nothing to impede DOGE-driven staffing cuts, advocated raising the retirement age, forced a clunky Login.gov/ID.me overhaul, and witnessed repeated crashes of the My Social Security website. His “technology agenda,” aims to force customer service online (instead of by phone or in person at field offices), leaving some tech-challenged seniors in the cold.
In an episode of our podcast from 2025, Former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said he believes Bisignano has “approved every decision that’s been made so far to crater (SSA) and to gut it.” O’Malley also noted that the commissioner “comes out of an industry that was bailed out to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars during the 2008 financial crisis.”
Former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley
Now in charge of both SSA and the IRS, Bisignano’s status as a “two-for-one” commissioner is dangerous and unprecedented. As NCPSSM President Max Richtman warned last fall:
“Naming Bisignano CEO of another crucial federal agency while he serves as SSA commissioner demonstrates the Trump administration’s indifference… Seniors deserve a full-time Social Security Commissioner. Full stop.” – Max Richtman, President and CEO, NCPSSM
Advocates fear that Bisignano’s appointment to both IRS and SSA puts the Trump administration in a position to consolidate – and abuse – the agencies’ massive troves of personal data. Trump’s DOGE squad already is in hot water for not only copying Americans’ Social Security data onto an unsecured cloud server, but offering to share data with a third-party political operative to “overturn election results.” In February, a federal judge found that the IRS had illegally shared “thousands of people’s information” with ICE as part of the administration’s brutal crackdown on immigrants.
Bisignano’s testimony last week did nothing to quell concerns that this administration is prepared to continue misusing federal agencies for its own nefarious purposes, instead of truly serving the public. The 70 million customers of the Social Security Administration and anyone whose personal data has been compromised by Trump and DOGE deserve so much better.
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Read our fact-check of Bisignano’s 2025 letter to the public HERE.
Listen to our podcast with Former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley HERE.
VP Vance and Mehmet Oz Turn Medicaid into a Weapon in Minnesota
Wikimedia Commons
In a move of partisan pettiness, the Trump administration has “temporarily halted” $260 million in Medicaid reimbursements owed to the state of Minnesota, weaponizing allegations of ‘fraud’ in order to punish its political opponents. This decision will put hundreds of thousands of low‑income, older, and disabled Minnesotans at risk.
Last week, Vice President JD Vance and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz announced the moratorium as part of a larger “war on fraud.” In reality, the administration has singled out Minnesota, using Vance to probe how far they can push the limits of political retaliation under the guise of “reform.” The Minnesota Department of Human Services warns that a funding freeze could last several quarters and cost the state’s General Fund more than $1 billion this year alone.
Trump and Vance have been feuding with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 elections. As governor, Waltz has pushed back hard against ICE’s illegal invasion of Minneapolis. He also has spoken out against Trump’s rhetoric toward the state’s Somali-American community.
Anne Montgomery, Senior Health Policy Expert at NCPSSM, put it bluntly:
“The only way Trump and his allies know how to negotiate is by causing pain — deep pain. This move is nothing more than political payback against Waltz – and a pressure tactic.” – Anne Montgomery, NCPSSM
Vance framed the freeze as a necessary step to force Minnesota to “take its obligations seriously.” But in practice, the White House is taking a bad-faith approach, looking to punish a state that is already grappling with fraud investigations and Trump/Vance/Miller’s unlawful ICE invasion.
Under the direction of Vance and Oz, CMS has departed from its usual enforcement process, which should be more reactive (carefully assessing allegations of fraud) than proactive. Instead, the administration is freezing money for:
- Personal care services,
- Home and community‑based services
- In‑home and provider‑based supports
These services are lifelines that help older adults and people with disabilities live with dignity. Furthermore, this abrupt stoppage will throw medical staffers with these programs into a period of financial turmoil. Montgomery points out that “The providers who serve them are ordinary people, generally working for modest wages, who go into people’s homes to provide supportive services that keep them out of the hospital and out of nursing homes, and they may not be paid.”
We don’t expect this “war on fraud” playbook to be unique to Minnesota. It seems as though Vance and Oz are taking the baton from Musk and DOGE, whose rampage through the federal bureaucracy last year unleashed trauma and chaos at the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Vance’s Medicaid freeze in Minnesota, framed as protecting taxpayers, in practice advances Trump’s broader political agenda, scapegoating Somali‑Americans and exerting political pressure on Governor Tim Walz, while putting at risk the older adults, people with disabilities, and low‑income families who depend on Medicaid for essential care.
Trump himself knows the optics are toxic, which is why he’s handed Vance the thankless job of managing the political fallout. The VP has proven to be a convenient spokesperson for policies even some Republicans see as risky and cruel. GOP strategists in Minnesota have expressed fears of “blowback,” especially after two residents of the state — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were killed by federal immigration authorities.
In a midterm election year, voters will have a clear choice: support leaders who weaponize health care to punish a blue state, or elect those who treat Medicaid, Social Security, and Medicare as lifelines, not bargaining chips.
Listen to our podcast HERE
Read the Minnesota DHS’ press release HERE
Trump Offers Seniors Lies & Empty Promises in State of the Union Speech
Last night, Donald Trump delivered a bloated, hyper-partisan spectacle that did nothing to allay the concerns of older Americans. In fact, the president attempted to mislead seniors about the administration’s policies that most seriously affect them.
“The state of the union speech was theatrics over substance. And it was patently partisan,” said NCPSSM president and CEO, Max Richtman. “Trump’s brand of political performance art is no substitute for leadership that improves the lives of Americans of all ages, including our nation’s seniors.”
Here are some of the lowlights:
“No more taxes on Social Security benefits”
Trump’s mumbling, bumbling diatribe (which broke the record for the longest State of the Union ever) contained countless lies and exaggerations, some old and some brand new. He boasted that the administration has “eliminated taxes on Social Security,” which is patently false.
The president’s “Big, Ugly Bill” did NOT cut or eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits. It did contain a limited tax deduction for seniors until 2028 that phases out at higher income levels. But he continues to lie about changing taxation on benefits.
Millions of Social Security beneficiaries will still owe federal income tax on their Social Security benefits this year, just as they did under Presidents Biden, Trump 1.0, Obama, W. Bush, et al.
“Protecting” seniors’ programs
Trump also grossly misled Americans by saying that his administration will “protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.” First of all, the Big, Ugly Bill cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid — which will result in millions of Americans of all ages losing health coverage when the law kicks in. Hospitals and clinics in underserved areas already are closing because of the coming cuts in federal funding.
As for Social Security and Medicare, Trump has been a poor steward of both as their trust funds approach depletion between 2030 and 2040, absent any corrective action. Trump/GOP policies have made the situation worse, not better. As Fortune’s Nick Lichtenberg wrote in response to Trump’s speech:
“Sweeping legislative changes spearheaded by his administration have drastically shortened the financial lifespans of both Medicare and Social Security, accelerating their (trust funds’) paths toward insolvency.” – Fortune, 2/24/26
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has undermined Social Security through reckless cuts in staffing and customer service at the Social Security Administration. Seniors’ advocates have rightly called these maneuvers a “back door approach” to cutting Social Security.
TrumpRx and Other Prescription Drug Hooey
We also saw Trump try to dodge another reality he can’t escape: Americans, young and old, continue to face high prescription drug costs. Instead of being honest with the public last night, Trump focused not on inflated prices, but serving his inflated ego:
“I am ending the wildly inflated cost of prescription drugs. Other presidents tried to do it, but they never could. They didn’t even come close.” – Donald Trump, 2/24/2026
Really? Here’s the truth: President Biden and congressional Democrats enacted real reform via the Inflation Reduction Act, which, among other things, empowered Medicare to negotiate prices with Big Pharma — a provision which already is lowering prices for several life-saving drugs.
NBC News notes that Biden’s 2022 law:
- Capped insulin at 35 dollars a month for people on Medicare.
- Created a 2,000 dollar annual cap on out‑of‑pocket Medicare drug costs.
- For the first time, allowed Medicare to negotiate prices on some of its most expensive medicines.
By contrast, Trump has relied on sketchy, back-room deals with a handful of drugmakers, plus his TrumpRx “self‑pay” platform that offers cash prices on a limited number of medications. These discounts generally don’t apply to people with Medicare or employer-provided insurance, don’t count toward deductibles, and often can’t beat the prices of existing generics. Trump simply re-branded existing manufacturers’ coupons on his own site.
For all its bloat, last night’s speech did nothing to address the challenges facing America’s seniors. Overheated rhetoric and lies do not make up for the potentially devastating effects of Trump’s wrongheaded policies.
“Hopefully, America will soon forget last night’s bizarre ‘reality show’ that has little relation to the reality of day-to-day life in America,” said Max Richtman. “But we will remind voters this election year of this administration’s myriad failures to protect older Americans and their families.”
The Dystopian Future is Now at Trump’s Social Security Administration
Getty Images
A combination of incompetence and extremism is once again on display at Trump’s Social Security Administration (SSA). On Friday, two disturbing stories broke. Wired reported that the Trump administration is demanding that SSA employees inform ICE about appointments made for in-person service at Social Security field offices, presumably so that agents can nab suspected undocumented immigrants. Meanwhile, according to Government Exec, SSA staffers were told to advise callers to the agency’s 1-800 number that “suicide is an option” for people considering ending their lives.
These two stories may seem unrelated; but they are not. Both can be understood in in the context of Trump’s grossly misusing SSA to advance his extreme ideological agenda — against immigrants and against a federal workforce that truly serves the public.
“Suicide is an option”
The administration has slashed some 7,000 jobs at the Social Security Administration, creating a tremendous ‘brain drain’ and weakening an agency that serves a growing senior population.
Government Exec reports that, because of understaffing, SSA recently began “shifting new swaths of its workforce to phone answering duty,” providing those employees with only a brief, three-hour training.
In that training, employees were told to advise distressed callers expressing suicidal ideations that “suicide is only one option.” Employees in the room reportedly were “taken aback” and expressed “disbelief that it was just said.” Mental health experts roundly criticized the SSA training:
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention maintains a best practices framework for suicide crisis lines, which emphasizes that suicide should not be presented as “acceptable.” – Government Exec, 2/13/26
When asked for his response to this news, former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley told us, “For 90 years, the mission of Social Security field offices has been to promote, protect and defend the dignity of every human life. There must be some mistake. I cannot believe that anyone would try to teach the compassionate human beings of (SSA) to tell beneficiaries that taking their own lives is an option.”
This is only one of the latest in a series of outrages at Trump’s SSA, demonstrating that the purposely understaffed agency is awash in incompetence, poor judgement, and immoral leadership from the very top.
Reporting SSA field office appointments to ICE
The other recent outrage is the disclosure in Wired that workers at the Social Security Administration have been told to share information about in-person appointments with agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Wired quotes an unnamed SSA employee who fears retaliation for speaking out:
“If ICE comes in and asks if someone has an upcoming appointment, we will let them know the date and time,” an employee with direct knowledge of the directive says. – Wired, 2/13/26
This directive is well outside the mission of SSA, which is to administer Americans’ earned benefits – not to snitch on visitors to field offices who in some cases are non-citizens in the U.S. legally. (Some non-citizens can be eligible for Social Security benefits, while undocumented workers are not.)
“From the first moment that DOGE marched into Social Security, greenlighted by the (Trump) regime… we’ve seen them misuse Social Security in ways that can inflict pain and… suffering on others,” former commissioner O’Malley says. “We now see that they’re trying to turn the agency into a dragnet for the greatest internment of human beings on US soil in the modern history of America.”
Former acting Social Security commissioner under Trump, Leland Dudek, says that SSA is meant to be a “safe space” for Social Security applicants and beneficiaries. It’s important, he told Wired, for customers of SSA to feel that “SSA is there for them and no harm will come to them.” If this policy is kept in place, he says, “Why would the public trust SSA anymore?”
Fmr. Social Security Commissioner O’Malley says Trump is trying to turn SSA into “a dragnet for the greatest internment of human beings on US soil in the modern history of America.”
Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Richard Neal (D-MA) of the House Ways and Means Committee responded with alarm to Friday’s reporting:::
“Under this administration, ICE has been transformed into Donald Trump’s secret police force – accountable to nobody. (Now) ICE is attempting to infiltrate the Social Security Administration… using field offices to further round up and detain people, and scaring people out of getting the benefits they need.”
NCPSSM’s senior Social Security policy expert, Maria Freese, points out that SSA is not the only agency the Trump regime has misused in pursuit of its anti-immigrant agenda. As Wired reports, a federal district judge in Massachusetts ruled that the IRS and SSA could not share taxpayer data with DHS or ICE – though this administration is not well known for complying with court orders.
‘The Dystopian Future is Now’
These latest revelations come on the heels of news that members of DOGE offered a conservative political advocate access to Americans’ personal Social Security data to “overturn election results.”
At an event on Capitol Hill last week, Reps. Larson, Neal, and other Democratic lawmakers demanded an investigation into DOGE misuse of Social Security data. Rep. Larson said that “this data belonging to you and your children, relating to this program that you put your trust in,” must be protected. “There will be justice!” he promised.
An angry Rep. John Larson (D-CT) demands an investigation into DOGE misuse of Social Security data
The administration seems to be doing everything in its power to foster public distrust in the SSA. Trump’s dystopian policies are contrary to the mission of the agency, which exists solely to deliver Americans’ earned benefits. Its operations are paid for by workers’ Social Security payroll contributions. SSA truly belongs to the American people. President Biden once called Social Security “a sacred trust.” But clearly nothing is sacred to the Trump administration. The dystopian future is now.
TrumpRx is Prescription Drug Snake Oil
Donald Trump’s latest gesture toward lowering prescription drug prices — and it is mostly an empty gesture — is the ‘branded’ website, TrumpRx, which the prez unveiled last week with great fanfare. It purports to save Americans money on drugs. But it is largely another Trump gimmick, joining Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump Sneakers, and a myriad of other schemes.
Trump Rx simply re-directs users to underwhelming (and already existing) manufacturer’s ‘discounts’ on brand‑name drugs – and is nowhere close to a serious plan to lower Americans’ drug costs. In fact, Medicare beneficiaries cannot even use these manufacturer’s discounts, and few people with private health insurance policies will benefit, either.
Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) basically gave the site zero stars:
“This is just another Donald Trump pet project to rebrand something that already exists, take credit for it, and do nothing to actually lower healthcare prices.” – Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA)
The playbook used to unveil Trump’s latest gimmick is the same one he has used for decades. Whether it’s his (now defunct) casinos, wine, or university, the order of operations is simple: Slap the Trump name on it (preferably in gold!), declare it the best thing ever, and abandon the venture for something else before the shine wears off.
In a press conference, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), excoriated the launch of TrumpRx:
“TrumpRx is nothing more than a glorified coupon book, and it will advance the Republican agenda to undermine affordable health care for American families.” – Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee
Senator Wyden (who was a guest on our podcast last year) nailed it. TrumpRx covers just a few dozen high-priced brand-name drugs like weight-loss meds and fertility treatments, steering uninsured patients to direct-to-consumer portals that were already out there on GoodRx or specific drug company websites.
Sen. Alex Padilla calls TrumpRx a “pet project to rebrand something that already exists and do nothing to lower prices.”
For Medicare Part D (drug coverage) enrollees — who fill most prescriptions with less expensive but equally effective generic meds — Trump Rx is basically useless. The TrumpRx discounts also don’t work with most other insurances, won’t count toward deductibles or out-of-pocket caps, and leave the real problem untouched: list prices that Big Pharma keeps jacking up. (Drugmakers welcomed the New Year by raising the prices of some 350 medications.)
While Trump Rx is a joke, President Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act – while not a cure all – enables the Medicare program to negotiate drug prices directly with Big Pharma. These negotiations have so far lowered the prices of ten high-cost prescription drugs by up to 79%, which go into effect the year following each round of negotiations. As a bonus, lower drug prices in Medicare can have a positive ripple effect on costs for everyone.
The Trump administration deserves credit for following the law and initiating the next round of negotiations with drugmakers, having announced the next 15 drugs to be put on the table for price reductions. These are real, rather than imagined, savings.
Medicare negotiations with Big Pharma under Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act have already yielded significant savings
Meanwhile, critics say that Trump’s own drug pricing gimmicks benefit Big Pharma (and perhaps his own family) more than consumers. TrumpRx, for example, exists to funnel patients to direct-to-consumer (DTC) sites and the websites of drug manufacturers. Notably, Donald Trump, Jr. sits on the board of a DTC website called BlinkRx, which offers brand-name drugs.
“BlinkRx stands to benefit from a shake-up of how patients buy drugs after President Trump urged pharmaceutical companies to sell their medicines directly to consumers. BlinkRx helps drugmakers do exactly that with a service that promises to set up direct-to-patient sales programs.” – Wall Street Journal, October 2025
Trump knows that he has failed to deliver on his “great healthcare plan.” Instead of taking bold action to truly reduce drug costs (rather than peddling so-called ‘discounts’ on exorbitant Big Pharma prices), he’s resorted to old tricks. Americans – and especially seniors on fixed incomes — deserve real relief at the pharmacy counter instead of a giant bottle of snake oil.