Statement From Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner, About Commitment to Agency Transparency and Protecting Benefits and Information

Excerpt (Acting Commissioner Dudek):  “Openness, transparency, and accountability are tenets of good government and demonstrating them begins with me. To that end, I want to share several points to reassure the public and our employees that I will continue SSA’s history of transparency and protecting benefits and information. … Good government means finding ways to do better: The Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, is a critical part of President Trump’s commitment to identifying fraud, waste, and abuse, and better ways for the government to function to support its people. I want to be very clear about the DOGE personnel who are now working at Social Security: 1) Our continuing priority is paying beneficiaries the right amount at the right time, and providing other critical services people rely on from us; 2) DOGE personnel CANNOT make changes to agency systems, benefit payments, or other information. They only have READ access; 3) DOGE personnel do not have access to data related to a court ordered temporary restraining order, current or future; and 4) DOGE personnel must follow the law and if they violate the law they will be referred to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution.”