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.