‘Re-Arranging Deck Chairs at Social Security’: Bisignano’s Fake Fix for Staffing Crisis
There’s been an uncanny amount of re-shuffling of workers and resources at the Social Security Administration lately – in a feeble attempt to paper over Trump’s reckless cuts in staffing. The latest example of this game of whack-a-mole unfolded last week.
Commissioner Frank Bisignano announced a shiny, new plan to “centralize” medical reviews for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits — which could impact nearly 9 million Americans. (Disabled workers can lose their benefits if they do not pass these periodic reviews.)
This shift yanks the review process away from experienced state Disability Determination Services (DDS) offices, supposedly to boost “accountability.” These medical reviews will now fall under the purview of SSA’s federal Disability Case Review (DCR) team.
We suspect that this move has nothing to do with “accountability,” and really is about “re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic,” as our senior Social Security expert, Maria Freese, puts it. She points out that Trump’s SSA, after recklessly cutting more than 7,000 jobs when the agency already was understaffed, now finds itself falling short in key areas — and is furiously trying to plug holes.
“The agency has way too much work, with too few people. So they shift around the workload (in this case, SSDI reviews), so that overburdened staff in other areas have to do that work. That ultimately leaves SSA with a deficit somewhere else.” Freese explains. “Eventually, everyone who is reliant on the agency suffers.”
Social Security Commissioner Bisignano has been playing ‘whack-a-mole’ to cover for staffing cuts
Case-in-point: When staffing cuts began to hobble customer service on SSA’s 1-800 phone line, leadership hastily re-assigned other workers (who had little-to-no experience in that area) to fill the gap – rushing them through an insufficient training process.
In a letter to Commissioner Bisignano, twelve Senate Democrats have demanded more information about the rationale for these hasty re-assignments. The letter quotes demoralized and concerned SSA employees:
“We [are] being forced onto the phones to take calls from people wondering what the status of their claim is and where their back benefits are… [when] WE are the workers who process the claims they are waiting for.”
As the Senators point out, “This action is akin to a restaurant manager firing its entire wait staff and forcing its cooks to wait tables as well.”
The Senators worry that Bisignano’s forced re-assignments are “harming Social Security beneficiaries, endangering the accuracy of claims, and wasting taxpayer dollars.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren is one of 12 Democrats demanding answers from SSA (Getty)
Advocates and experts warn SSDI beneficiaries to expect delays, errors, and potential chaos in the claims appeals process. Retirement planner Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group, told Newsweek: “For beneficiaries, this likely means more initial denials and a longer fight to receive benefits, even as the agency (claims to have) improved efficiency.”
Meanwhile, Freese says that these problems were fully preventable – and could be remediated by hiring more staff. “But they don’t want to hire new people, because that would be admitting that they shouldn’t have fired all those workers in the first place.”
As SSA whistleblower Laura Haltzel said of Trump, DOGE, and SSA leadership: “Mayhem is their M.O.” She added, “This is too big. It’s too important. I didn’t dedicate 27 years of my career to the Social Security Administration to watch it dismantled.”
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Listen to our full podcast interview with SSA whistleblower Laura Haltzel here.
Read the letter to Commissioner Bisignano from Senate Democrats here.
Trump Admin. to Blame for Social Security Data Abuse (Not Just Rogue DOGE Bro’s)
New reporting in the Washington Post indicates that a former DOGE software engineer allegedly copied Americans’ personal information from two Social Security databases onto a thumb drive, with the intention of uploading the data onto the servers of a company where he had recently obtained employment.
These two databases include the records of approximately 500 million living and dead beneficiaries, risking exposure of Social Security numbers, birthplaces, dates, citizenship, race, ethnicity, and parents’ names.
“The Post reporting details the latest in a series of serious data breaches on the part of DOGE staff, enabled by an administration apparently more interested in leveraging Americans’ personal data to advance political and personal agendas — rather than serving the public,” said NCPSSM President and CEO Max Richtman in a press statement Thursday.
Richtman says the alleged breach was a “direct consequence” of last year’s ill-advised Supreme Court ruling that granted DOGE “unfettered access” to sensitive Social Security data.
The newly reported breach clearly is part of a pattern. Recall last year’s allegations that DOGE uploaded personal Social Security data to an unsecured cloud server — and that DOGE employees offered to share Americans’ data with a third-party political operative to “overturn election results.” A federal judge found that the IRS had provided taxpayers’ personal data to ICE as part of Trump’s brutal crackdown on immigrants. Trump appointed Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano to the dual role of “IRS CEO” last year in what advocates worry is a move to facilitate consolidation of Americans’ data for inappropriate (and illegal) purposes.
Our senior Social Security expert, Maria Freese, lays the blame not just on ‘rogue’ DOGE employees, but on the Trump administration itself.
“From the very beginning, the Administration has been decimating the federal workforce and undermining the government’s ability to serve the public. A lot of this has been couched in terms of searching for ‘waste and fraud,’ even though the Social Security Administration has an extremely low fraud rate and has always been one of the most efficient agencies in the federal government.” – Maria Freese, Senior Policy Expert, NCPSSM
Advocates fear that these breaches are part of a larger agenda, which Freese believes is intended to “undermine public confidence in the program,” so that Social Security can eventually be “privatized and sold to the highest bidder.”
NCPSSM Social Security expert Maria Freese (right) on the latest episode of “Capital Quick Takes”
Democratic lawmakers have been increasingly agitated by reports of continued DOGE abuse of Americans’ personal data. Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Richard Neal (D-MA) responded immediately to the allegations in the Washington Post:
“These continued revelations demand a full investigation with accountability if wrongdoing is confirmed. This is criminal, and the result of a year of lawlessness and mismanaging the people’s data that Republicans have insisted wasn’t happening.” – Reps John Larson (D-CT) and Richard Neal (D-MA)
Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert also demanded accountability. “This massive, illegal, and horrific breach of Americans’ most sensitive data has confirmed… that the Trump administration allowing DOGE to infiltrate our government without oversight created fertile ground for abuse, and in this case of an exceptionally egregious kind.”
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.”