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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsMichelle King left her role as acting Social Security commissioner in February 2025 after a dispute over DOGE’s access to sensitive agency data, according to the Associated Press. The administration said it would protect benefit levels while pursuing waste and fraud; its documented actions also included a plan to shrink the Social Security Administration’s workforce. The 2025 reporting and agency records cited here do not establish a law changing Social Security’s eligibility rules or benefit formulas.
Why did Michelle King leave?
King’s departure centered on whether Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) could access sensitive Social Security Administration (SSA) information. The Associated Press reported, citing sources who were not authorized to speak publicly, that King refused access and left the acting commissioner role. Leland Dudek replaced her in that role.
That account is based on AP’s reporting, not a public resignation statement from King. It describes a dispute about access to beneficiary data; it does not by itself establish that DOGE obtained unrestricted access or that beneficiary information was misused.
Did Trump and Musk say they would cut Social Security benefits?
The administration’s public position was that it would not cut Social Security benefits and would instead look for waste, fraud and abuse. The White House also quoted Musk describing entitlement spending as a major target for eliminating waste.
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Trump told TIME, “If it cuts it, I would not approve.” Asked whether he would veto a bill cutting Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, he replied, “I would veto it, yeah.” Those are public statements of intent, not a substitute for legislation or a guarantee about every future administrative decision.
In the cited 2025 record, no enacted law changing Social Security eligibility or benefit formulas is established. A proposal, promise or agency reorganization is not the same as a change to the formula that determines a person’s benefit.
What changes did SSA document?
A smaller workforce target
SSA’s February 28, 2025 workforce plan set a target of 50,000 employees, down from approximately 57,000. The plan described reductions through retirement, deferred resignation, voluntary separation incentives and resignation, with reduction-in-force actions also possible. That target is a staffing plan, not evidence that all of the roughly 7,000-position difference was achieved through layoffs.
Regional consolidation
The same plan proposed reducing SSA’s regional structures from 10 to four. This is an administrative reorganization; the document does not say that Social Security benefit formulas would change as a result.
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Staffing and regional changes can affect the agency’s capacity to handle work, but the cited plan does not quantify resulting wait times, office closures or service outcomes. SSA later said court guidance limited DOGE activities and reiterated that Trump supported keeping offices open and delivering “the right check to the right person at the right time.”
How much Social Security fraud or improper payment was identified?
The figures used in public discussion are not interchangeable. An improper payment is a payment made in the wrong amount or to the wrong recipient under the applicable rules; it is not automatically proof of fraud or intentional wrongdoing.
| Figure | What it describes |
|---|---|
| $500 billion to $700 billion | Musk’s alleged estimate of waste in entitlement spending, as reported by AP in 2025. It is a broad claim, not an SSA audit finding of Social Security fraud. |
| $71.8 billion | Social Security inspector general figure for improper payments over fiscal years 2015–2022, as reported by AP in 2025. The period spans eight fiscal years; it is not an annual amount. |
| $72 billion | The White House’s estimate of SSA improper payments over 2015–2022, cited in 2025. This is close to the inspector general figure, but it remains an improper-payment estimate, not a measure of proven fraud. |
The discrepancy is chiefly one of scope: Musk’s much larger figure concerned alleged waste across entitlement spending, while the roughly $72 billion figures referred specifically to SSA improper payments during 2015–2022. Neither figure establishes how much was deliberate fraud or how much could be recovered.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who is running the Social Security Administration?
After King’s departure, Leland Dudek served as acting commissioner. The White House announced that Trump had nominated Frank Bisignano, who was sworn in as the 18th commissioner on May 7, 2025. That appointment identifies the commissioner as of that date; the cited record does not establish any later change in leadership.
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What does this mean for a beneficiary’s check?
The documented staffing plan, regional consolidation and dispute over data access are agency-management issues, not a published change to monthly benefit formulas. Trump publicly opposed benefit cuts, while the administration described its goal as reducing waste and improper payments. These statements and plans do not guarantee that no individual payment can change: SSA still administers benefits under existing eligibility and payment rules, and correcting an individual overpayment is distinct from changing the benefit formula for everyone.
For the policy question, the important distinction is between a public promise, an operational change at SSA and a law changing eligibility or benefits. The 2025 sources cited here document the first two, but do not establish the third.
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