Acting commissioner says all payments are being made on schedule
The Social Security Administration says it isn't shutting down and is conducting business as usual, its acting director said as a tumultuous and confusing week drew to a close.
The agency's acting commissioner, Lee Dudek, issued a statement Friday afternoon after a federal judge issued a restraining order aimed at preventing Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from hampering its operations.
Here is the text of Dudek's statement:
Today, the Court issued clarifying guidance about the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) related to DOGE employees and DOGE activities at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Therefore, I am not shutting down the agency. President Trump supports keeping Social Security offices open and getting the right check to the right person at the right time. SSA employees and their work will continue under the TRO.
Dudek's statement followed a scathing ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander that barredSocial Security Administration employees including Dudek from granting the DOGE team access to information that can be used to identify individuals.
Dudek reportedly said earlier that, as a result of that ruling, Social Security employees might not be able to access the information they need to issue checks. His statement was apparently intended to clarify that checks were being processed normally.
In her ruling, Judge Hollander alsoalso ordered DOGE team members to delete all non-anonymized personally identifiable information they have accessed directly or indirectly since Jan. 20, MSNBC reported.
New verification process
The agency announced earlier this week that it was instituting new identity verification processes aimed at reducing fraud and there were reports that staffing at Social Security offices would be reduced.
In its announcement a few daysago, Dudek said Social Security wastaking "proactive steps to enhance the security of its services" but some critics said it wasa Trumpian scheme to sabotage operations and force the privitization of Social Security.
The earlierannouncementfollowed a leaked memo that predicted the agency would eliminate telephone applications and require everyone to apply online.
Critics said the heightened verification requirements would result in seniors, disabled people, rural residentsand anyone without internet access having to apply in person at already overworked local SSA offices.
It wasn't immediately clear what restraining order Dudek was referring to in his statement. There are numerous court actions pending in the wake of DOGE's attempts to cut staffing and operations at numerous government agencies.
Posted: 2025-03-21 22:40:34
