Senate Panel Grills Social Security Administration Nominee

By Mary Helen Gillespie

The confirmation hearing for Frank Bisignano, the Wall Street veteran President Trump nominated to lead the Social Security Administration, ended Tuesday with Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee appearing united in their readiness to smooth his way to a vote of the full Senate, The New York Times reported.

Democrats on the panel repeatedly expressed concern about the possibility that the Trump administration could seek to cut benefits or privatize Social Security. (Subscription may be required for the entire story.)

The Senate Finance Committee also voted Tuesday to advance the nomination of Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity TV doctor nominated to lead Medicare and Medicaid, to the full Senate. The vote was split along party lines with Senate Democrats voting no, citing Oz’s unwillingness to commit to defending Medicaid, the state-federal program for low-income Americans, from potentially dramatic budget cuts favored by the Republican-controlled House.

Bisignano offered a “guarantee” at his confirmation hearing that he would not seek to privatize Social Security. “I’ve never thought about privatizing,” he told the Senate Finance Committee. He also faced questions about job cuts and policy changes by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency that have raised fears about access to benefits.

Several senators from both parties questioned DOGE’s role at Social Security. Few people inside the agency would dispute that it needs to become more efficient.

Bisignano maintained a calm demeanor throughout the hearing, smoothly answering questions, though sometimes not as directly as Democratic senators would have wanted.

In one exchange, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts described a hypothetical situation in which a retiree’s benefits were delayed by three months because of customer service issues related to cuts by Elon Musk’s DOGE effort, and pressed him on whether that would qualify as a benefit cut. “I am not sure what to call it,” Bisignano replied. “It sounds like a horrible situation.”

Republicans also questioned Bisignano on his commitment to improving customer service, but seemed largely in agreement that he had the experience necessary to run such a crucial agency.

“You know how to deliver what we all want from Social Security, and we are all looking forward to moving forward expeditiously with your nomination,” Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho said at the conclusion of the hearing. “The attack all day has been on DOGE and undercutting Social Security or privatizing it or whatever it is. The bottom line is the president of the United States has said very clearly that we are not going to cut Social Security benefits.”

The Senate Finance Committee’s next step is to schedule a vote on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate. If it decides to advance Bisignano, the nomination will proceed to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.