Democratic senator grills Trump nominee over DOGE access to Social Security systems
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, grilled Wall Street veteran Frank Bisignano, whom President Trump has picked to lead the Social Security Administration, about what role he’s played in giving members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the department.
Wyden, citing a tip from a “whistleblower,” asked Bisignano if he was actively involved in onboarding DOGE team members and whether he would be sure to “lock” them out from accessing Social Security beneficiaries personal information.
“The whistleblower statement says that the nominee insisted on personally approving several key DOGE hires at the agency,” Wyden said.
“According to the whistleblower, you personally intervened to get key DOGE officials installed at the agency who have masterminded this shipwreck we’re dealing [with] today. Did you talk to anyone at Social Security about these changes?” Wyden demanded.
Bisignano responded that he never spoke to acting Social Security commissioner Leland Dudek but did speak to chief information officer Michael Russo.
But he denied Wyden’s claim that he hired one DOGE official in the “middle of the night.”
“I was not involved in onboarding anybody in the middle of the night,” he said, prompting a skeptical reaction from Wyden.
“Well, we’ve heard some very disturbing comments with respect to some of the officials and I think we’ve got to get to the bottom of it,” the senator said.
Wyden said DOGE officials have been “feasting on the personal information of the American people” stored in government databases.
“If you’re confirmed, will you lock DOGE out of Social Security databases and stop them from exposing millions of Americans who could be damaged?” he asked.
Bisignano said he spent his career at major financial institutions protecting Americans’ personal information.
“I think it’s of the utmost importance for [personal information] to be protected and yes I will ensure it’s protected,” he said.
The exchange happed during Bisignano’s Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday morning.
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