Associated Press
Throughout his tenure in the Trump administration, Frank Bisignano — the Social Security Commissioner and “CEO” of the IRS — has established himself as a willing participant in some of the President’s most controversial political projects. That dynamic came to a head this month, when Bisignano used his position with the IRS to sign off on an agreement with the Justice Department that created the widely criticized “Anti-Weaponization Fund” intended to direct taxpayer dollars to January 6 defendants and other Trump allies.
According to news reports today, Trump is “tabling” the $1.8 billion slush fund under mounting public pressure — and bipartisan pushback on Capitol Hill. On May 29th, a federal judge ordered the fund to be temporarily frozen. The Justice Department said it would comply with that order.
As the Rachel Maddow blog reports, U.S. District Court judge Kathleen Williams “has ordered President Donald Trump to address allegations that he committed fraud on the court… and whether the deal was designed to improperly benefit Trump and his allies.”
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) called Trump’s slush fund “stupid on stilts.”
None of this excuses Trump or his enablers, including Bisignano, from approving the fund in the first place.
“Bisignano’s chief talent is sycophancy and raising no questions about anything,” a former veteran Social Security Administration (SSA) employee told us. The same former SSA employee added that no career professional “would remain silent” in the face of an outrage like the “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” In fact, the Treasury Department’s top lawyer resigned his job immediately after the ‘slush fund’ deal was announced.
“The slush fund is so clearly a backwards admission of guilt, no career professional would remain silent for such sleaze. Trump learned in his first term, career folks actually are not morally and ethically bankrupt. The ‘deep state’ actually stands for the rule of law and the Constitution. That is why someone like Bisignano is in place instead of a career government professional.” – Former SSA Employee
That critique aligns with how Bisignano has operated across two of the federal government’s most sensitive agencies. As we’ve previously written, his tenure has coincided with the president’s efforts to concentrate decision-making among political appointees who prefer to operate the federal government in a way that aligns with Trump’s self-serving goals – not the public good.
Bisignano’s second job in the administration — IRS “CEO” — is a newly created position that was never approved by the Senate, further raising questions about accountability and oversight at a moment of consequence for Social Security.
What does this mean for SSA? If Bisignano has demonstrated a willingness to carry water for Trump at the IRS — even amid internal objections from career staff — he seems equally enthusiastic about facilitating Trump’s Social Security agenda, as well.
Senate Democrats have raised concerns about severe cutbacks at SSA (as part of a phony hunt for ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’) and DOGE data leaks – along with questions about Bisignano’s financial dealings in connection with his former Wall Street firm, Fiserv.
Meanwhile, advocates have repeatedly challenged Bisignano’s questionable claims about ‘improved’ customer service at the agency, in the aftermath of massive staffing cuts and reckless policy changes. See our recent blog post, “Fact Checking the Frankster 2.0.”
The veteran SSA employee who spoke to us described the Social Security Administration as “not even recognizable” under Bisignano’s reign, pointing to what he sees as a breakdown in long-standing norms, internal safeguards, and respect for career expertise. Others warn that the same leadership style could enable or obscure future controversies, including ongoing concerns surrounding DOGE data breaches.
Kathleen Romig of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities just published another in a series of exposes detailing how Bisignano and Trump’s SSA has hurt, not helped, customers. “It’s hard for Congress and the public to (readily comprehend) how these radical changes affect the people SSA serves, from new babies being assigned a Social Security number, to workers at the beginnings and ends of their careers, to the surviving spouses and children of workers who die.”
To be clear, SSA operates under a different statutory framework than the IRS, with stronger structural protections around its funding and payment structure. Those guardrails make it far more difficult to redirect funds or unilaterally alter core functions of the program.
On the other hand, Trump and his minions (including Bisignano) have proven themselves willing to jump guardrails on a regular basis. The Social Security Commissioner’s role in this slush fund catastrophe should raise alarm bells for everyone who has entrusted the Social Security Administration with their hard-earned benefits.
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Read our past coverage of Commissioner Bisignano HERE
Read Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commissioner Bisignano HERE
Listen to our podcast HERE