The acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Leland Dudek, has clarified that he is not shutting down the agency after initially suggesting it might be necessary due to a judge’s ruling restricting access to sensitive data.
Dudek said on Friday that he had received “clarifying guidance” about the judge’s temporary restraining order concerning the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Therefore, I am not shutting down the agency,” Dudek stated. “President Trump supports keeping Social Security offices open and ensuring the right check goes to the right person at the right time. SSA employees and their work will continue under the [temporary restraining order].”
The confusion stemmed from a Thursday order by U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander, which blocked DOGE personnel from accessing SSA systems containing personally identifiable information (PII).
In interviews on Thursday and Friday, Dudek had suggested that this ruling could force him to suspend Social Security payments and lock SSA employees out of agency systems.
“My anti-fraud team and IT staff are DOGE affiliates,” Dudek told Bloomberg News on Thursday. “If I follow the order exactly, I’d have to cut off access for all SSA employees to our IT systems.”
He also told the Washington Post that the agency’s work revolves around PII. “Everything in this agency is PII,” Dudek said. “Unless I get clarification, I’ll have no choice but to start shutting it down.”
Judge Hollander responded on Friday, saying Dudek’s interpretation was inaccurate.
She clarified that the order does not require suspending benefit payments or blocking non-DOGE-affiliated SSA employees from accessing agency systems.
“Employees of SSA who are not involved with the DOGE Team or its work are not subject to the Order,” the judge wrote. “Any suggestion that the Order may require the delay or suspension of benefit payments is incorrect.”
Dudek’s earlier comments sparked a backlash from groups like AARP.
“Social Security has never missed a payment, and AARP and our tens of millions of members will not stand by and let that happen now,” said John Hishta, AARP’s Senior Vice President of Campaigns.
Disclaimer- Our team has thoroughly fact-checked this article to ensure its accuracy and maintain its credibility. We are committed to providing honest and reliable content for our readers.