Trump's Social Security chief backs down from 'shutting down' agency
Mar 23, 2025
Washington DC [US], March 23: The head of the U.S. Social Security Administration has backed down from "shutting down the agency" after a federal judge rebuked him for misinterpreting a court ruling that limited billionaire Elon Musk's access to agency information.
The agency's leader, Leland Dudek, who has been cooperating with a Musk-led group tasked with reducing government waste, said in a statement on Friday that the court had clarified its ruling.
"Therefore, I am not shutting down the agency," said Dudek, who was appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump as the agency's acting commissioner.
The Social Security Administration administers benefits for tens of millions of older Americans and people with disabilities.
Since taking office in January, Trump has vowed to reduce the size of government, tapping Musk to lead an effort to reduce government waste. Trump and Musk say social security fraud is rampant and that Musk's group, known as DOGE, needs access to agency data to identify people committing fraud to receive benefits payments.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
