New Social Security Commissioner faces pointed questions about staffing, privacy

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: ABC News/AP

June 25, 2025, 6:36 PM


WASHINGTON -- After months of job cuts, leadership turnover and other turmoil at the Social Security Administration, the agency's newly minted commissioner faced pointed questions from lawmakers about the future of the agency and its ability to pay Americans their benefits and protect their privacy.

Frank Bisignano, who was sworn in last month as President Donald Trump's pick to lead the agency, told lawmakers he intends to improve accuracy in payments and raise morale at the agency, which has already lost 7,000 workers since billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency embarked on a cost-cutting mission at the agency earlier this year.

“Increased staffing is not the long term solution,” Bisignano told lawmakers, vowing instead to invest in technology so that the agency could function with fewer workers. “We will do this by becoming a digital-first, technology-led organization that puts the public as our focal point.”

He called it his “personal goal” to have a “highly motivated workforce” and raise the agency's standing after three straight years of ranking last among government agencies in employee satisfaction. Bisignano testified that roughly 2,000 workers have been voluntary reassigned into direct-service positions at SSA, and nearly 3,700 employees have voluntarily left the agency. In 2026, he said, “we will focus our hiring efforts on highly skilled IT staff and field offices with staffing gaps that impact our ability to deliver.”

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/new-social-security-commissioner-faces-pointed-questions-staffing-123213089

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He called it his “personal goal” to have a “highly motivated workforce”

That ship has sailed - EVERYWHERE in the federal government - thanks to these incompetent sadistic loons.

[Puppyjive]

1. Staffing has always been the issue

Well with his attitude, nothing is going to change. Social Security has been understaffed for years. You can't promote better customer service with less people. Every claim is unique. There are some things that social security employees do that AI can't. He will never change the moral if he doesn't fix the staffing issue. When I left the agency, it only got worse. Sounds like they stopped monitoring the phone calls. It was a joke. You can't take claims and answer phones. The stress of not being able to answer the calls was literally killing me. I am in a much better place now (retired), but I really feel the guilt of leaving my coworkers behind.

[Scrivener7]

2. Of all Taco's appointees, this is the one I am least worried about. And I'm hoping to

begin collecting SS within a couple of years. Honestly, his background makes me wonder how he got through the gauntlet of incompetence of most of Taco's appointees.

I think Bisignano is personally creepy, but I also think he has skills and knows his way around a customer-centered business. He is the guy that put those credit card readers into every store, and we don't really even think about them anymore because they just work. I think he has the competence to make SS "just work," and I don't think he is involved in the decisions about funding SS and deciding who gets how much.

Musk did a lot of damage. I do think Bisignano has the ability to put things back together.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. But the problem still goes back to Muskrat

and the literal slashing and burning of the agency, including offices as well as personnel. Some were put back but as they go through the "big bastard bill" and try to restore stuff, they are going to continue to "rob Peter to pay Paul" and whatever was "put back" may be "taken away" again later.

[Scrivener7]

4. Yes, but that's a different issue than whether this guy is going to help or hurt. As the process you describe

plays out, I think this guy's experience will mitigate the effects.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. When you have little staff and those who are left are demoralized

he's going to have to be more than "logistics".

I have been monitoring Martin O'Malley's commentary (he was the predecessor Commissioner) and the staffing issue has been his biggest concern.

[Scrivener7]

6. I wouldn't call a staff of 50,000 little. But we're still talking about two different things. You're talking about

the effects of what musk did and I'm talking about Bisignano's track record and ability to make things work going forward.

It sounds like you don't think he can make it work. Given what he did at Fiserve, I think he can.

I guess we'll see.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. As a retired HHS employee

I know about the many years of "do more with less", "do more with nothing", and "do more with massive cuts".

For what the SSA does (and all the various associated programs), and especially with the remainder of the Baby Boom generation to come through and GenXers on their heels, "50,000" is not enough. I expect they want to completely "AI" the "Customer Service" but that is going to be a big FAIL and will take years to get right.

[Puppyjive]

8. Staffing is the issue

Has always been the issue for a long time. Phone calls don't get answered or returned, the claims process is slowed way down because they have no customer service reps. They take the claims representatives and put them on the front desk. It's like taking the doctor out of the exam room and forcing him to do the check ins, schedule the appointments and answer the phones. You can't have it both ways. The only viable solution is more staff. Period.