President Donald Trump‘s head of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Frank Bisignano, admitted in a town hall with agency managers this week that he was not looking for a job at the time and that he had searched Google to learn what exactly the position entails.
Newsweek reached out to the SSA via online form and the White House via email Thursday night for comment.
Why It Matters
Millions of Americans depend on payments from Social Security for disability income and their retirement benefits.
While on the campaign trail ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Trump vowed not to cut Social Security. Since taking office, the SSA has had adjustments to the agency mainly through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
DOGE was tasked with cutting waste in the federal budget while under the reins of billionaire Elon Musk.
What To Know
According to a report by ABC News on Thursday, Bisignano told the Social Security brass during the meeting that the offer to become agency commissioner nudged him to play internet detective.
“So, I get a phone call and it’s about Social Security. And I’m really, I’m really not, I swear I’m not looking for a job,” Bisignano said, ABC News reports, citing an obtained audio clip. “And I’m like, ‘Well, what am I going to do?’ So, I’m Googling Social Security. You know, one of my great skills, I’m one of the great Googlers on the East Coast.”
“Put that as the headline for the Post: ‘Great Googler, Googler in Chief. Chief in Googler’ or whatever,” Bisignano said in a clip posted to social media by ABC News, while adding that he likes “to have fun at work.”
“I’m like, ‘What the heck’s the commissioner of Social Security?’” he continued, according to ABC.
Bisignano was sworn in this month as SSA commissioner and previously served since 2020 as chairman of Fiserv, a financial tech firm, the Associated Press (AP) reports. He has also described himself as “fundamentally a DOGE person” but assured that he did not want to cut Social Security benefits, per the AP.
“This is America’s, you know, safety net—it’s not going away. And hopefully you hear me say this every day,” Bisignano said, according to ABC News. “You know who wants me to tell people that? Guess. The president.”
Reports swirled in February that the SSA workforce was expected to be cut in half along with performing in-person security checks for claims filed over the phone and those with fraud risk indicators.
Bisignano said the SSA must also develop a “digital-first” attitude, as “You’re competing with experiences that people have with Amazon, right? So if I could get something done at Amazon, why can’t I get something done the same way with Social Security? That’s how people think,” ABC News reports.
What People Are Saying
A Social Security official, to ABC News, in part: “He [Bisignano] is visiting offices and meeting employees to hear their ideas for how the agency can better serve customers in-person, on the telephone, and online.”
The official added, “As the commissioner evaluates the agency, he has been clear that SSA will have the right staffing to deliver Americans their hard-earned benefits.”
Continuing, the official said, “Clearly, Commissioner Bisignano was poking fun at himself so that everyone in the room felt comfortable having an open conversation about improving service for the American people.”
Liz Huston, White House assistant press secretary, to ABC News: “Commissioner Bisignano brings a valuable and much-needed outside perspective to the Social Security Administration. Commissioner Bisignano’s proven success in the financial services industry uniquely positions him to lead the Trump administration’s commonsense efforts to modernize the agency and improve its efficiency.”
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday: “‘What the heck’s the commissioner of Social Security?’ That’s a real question from Frank Bisignano…the commissioner of Social Security. Millions of Americans depend on Social Security. They should be able to trust that the head of the agency even knows what the job is.”
Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, on X last month: “I’m voting NO on Frank Bisignano, the Administration’s nominee to head the Social Security Administration. He’s made a name for himself in business slashing and burning to find efficiencies. Social Security is no place to slash and burn. It’s a contract with the American people.”
What Happens Next
ABC News reports that Bisignano also has no plans to “RIF people, OK? Because that’s the big question.” RIF stands for reduction in force.
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