Statement from Acting Commissioner Dudek
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: March 26, 2025
The President has appointed Lee Dudek as Acting Commissioner of Social Security. Read his statement reaffirming his Commitment to Agency Transparency and Protecting Benefits and Information.
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Kathy F.
I am not in the least reassured by Mr Dudek’s statement. His statement is as if DOGE is an accepted, known, accountable, official “agency” of the government. Nothing is transparent about them. No one has been vetted. The public does not know who they are. Why does DOGE even need ‘read only” access? What are they going to do with the information to which they have access? What is the purpose of giving DOGE access to the information? I think the AIG and the GAO are sufficient. Is DOGE going to eliminate staff of social security? Mr Dudek does not address any of this despite his statement that “Transparency begins with me”.
Lisa G.
Elon Musk and his “toady techs” have NO RIGHT or AUTHORITY to be snooping around in, nor having access and be privy to anything to do with an American Citizen’s personal and private information including our SS records, payments, names, addresses, SS numbers, et al. This includes Medicare and Medicaid. They are not federally appointed – they are no different than Joe or Jane Q. Public having access to these sensitive files and hacking away. We The People are furious.
Roe S.
It’s ashame that the payments we, along with our employers were mandated, by law to pay into is being labeled as a government handout. When in reality, it is the fulfillment of the promise made by the government to manage those payments on our behalf and payout based on a prescribed method.
Linda S.
Re: Statement from Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner
The Acting Commissioner MAY be sincere, but he is delusional. Unvetted employees of a “Department” (DOGE) without Congressional authorization, have repeated breached their ostensible “read only” access in other government systems. As a senior who is ever-protective of my social security information AND the account that receives deposits, I am angry and concerned. If you truly support the Social Security mission, as you claim, then you will soon be forced into a principled resignation. I thank you for your service, and I look forward to the time you join the opposition to this lawless regime.
Linda S.
Re: Statement from Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner
Proove it! The Acting Commissioner MAY be sincere, but he is delusional. Unvetted employees of a “Department” (DOGE) without Congressional authorization, have repeated breached their ostensible “read only” access in other government systems. As a senior who is ever-protective of my social security information AND the account that receives deposits, I am angry and concerned. If you truly support the Social Security mission, as you claim, then you will soon be forced into a principled resignation. I thank you for your service, and I look forward to the time you join the opposition to this lawless regime.
Marvel L.
After praying for years for the corruption in our government to be addressed, I am horrified at the actions of Trump and unelected President Musk. Losing freedom, democracy, rule of law and common decency is against everything I believe in as an American. I can only hope that the social security administration is not disgraced as are the other agencies.
Nancy
Don’t trust you and don’t believe a word you have said about DOGE.
Alexis W.
As a recipient of Social Security benefits I am so relieved that the SSA and all the other large government agencies are FINALLY being scrutinized and audited. It is way past time that this happens if our country is to survive into a prosperous future for it’s citizens. I have faith in President Trump’s team and their policies from what I have witnessed so far to end, or at least curtail, the enormous waste in oversized government due to the extreme corruption that has existed for decades. I look forward to a much more secure future for Americans when the great cleaning that has begun is completed.
Thisladyneeds j.
Alexis good luck getting good customer service because those employees on the chopping block work their ass off for you. When their gone and your benefits are privatized because you fed into this DOGE bs you get to say nothing.
Kelly T.
I have 3 children enrolled in college, technical education, or trade school. Their father passed from cardiac arrest in 2018 and since then, it’s been just me and them. They started receiving “survivor” benefits once a month from their father passing. The problem is once they graduated or turned age 18, the ”survivor” benefits stop. Social security used to pay survivor benefits through college, but no longer.
I already work a full time job and 22 hours at part time job. What can be done about changing rule for survivors benefits to continue through college?
C.B.
Hi, Kelly. We’re sorry for your loss. This may not be the news you were hoping to hear. At one time, Social Security did pay benefits to college students, but the law changed in 1981. Today, if a child is receiving benefits based on a parent’s Social Security earnings record, we pay these benefits to students who are taking courses at grade 12 or below. However, if a child is still a full-time student at a secondary (or elementary) school at age 18, their benefits will continue until the child graduates or until two months after the child turns age 19, whichever is first. Thanks for reading our blog.
Gregory G.
I live in Medellin, Colombia and DOGE / Trump would be BRILLIANT to cover medical expenses in LATAM and Asia for Medicare/Social Security recipients because the quality of care is in most cases BETTER than the USA and the costs a FRACTION of USA. Entitlements are the elephant in the budget. This would reduce healthcare costs by MANY billions and provide BETTER care to American retirees worldwide.