Frank Bisignano, new commissioner of the US Social Security Administration. Photo: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg
In a party line vote, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano to be the commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) on Tuesday, despite strong opposition from Democrats who voiced concerns over his relationship with DOGE officials. He will replace former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley, who resigned in November to run for chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Bisignano’s confirmation comes after a series of announcements at the Social Security Administration of mass federal worker layoffs and office closures. Social Security officials have announced plans to cut 7,000 of its 57,000 staff. An estimated 3,000 have already taken buyouts as of March.
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In February, the SSA’s acting commissioner, Michelle King, resigned after a dispute with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over the Elon Musk-led group’s efforts to access sensitive government records. Then, President Trump quickly appointed Leland Dudek, a manager in charge of SSA’s anti-fraud office, as the new acting commissioner.
Bisignano has worked as chairman of Fiserv, a payments and financial services tech firm, since 2020. President Donald Trump nominated Bisignano in December, praising him for having “a tremendous track record of transforming large corporations.”
Prior to serving as CEO of Fiserv, Bisignano, a Wall Street veteran, was the chairman and CEO of First Data Corp., and oversaw the merger of First Data and Fiserv in 2019. Prior, he worked as co-chief operating officer of JPMorgan Chase, and had also previously held senior positions at Citigroup.
Bisignano, a self-professed “efficiency guy” or “DOGE person,” faced tough questions by Senate Democrats at the Senate Finance Committee hearing last month. He was called to account for the recent upheaval at the SSA, which has been a target of DOGE efforts to cut costs at the agency by firing workers and closing offices.
However, it has been projected that SSA, which manages Social Security payments for about 72.5 million retirees, disabled people and children, will have funds depleted around 2035. Last year, Social Security paid over $1.5 trillion in benefits to more than 72 million beneficiaries.
For weeks, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), has said Bisignano “lied multiple times to every member of this Committee … about his actions and communications with [Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)] and the Social Security Administration” prior to his hearing last month.
Sen. Wyden said that his office "received an account from a whistleblower about the ways the nominee was deeply involved in and aware of DOGE’s activities at the agency.”
Democrats on the Senate committee had repeatedly pressed Bisignano on whether he supports cuts to Social Security and if he agrees with Musk that the program is a “Ponzi scheme.” He avoided directly answering those questions, but pledged to make sure Americans continue to receive Social Security benefits. “President Trump has been clear about Social Security. We will protect it,” he said.
Related: Trump’s pick to lead Social Security advances to full Senate for confirmation vote
Bisignano testified at the hearing that he would “ensure that every beneficiary receives their payments on time, that disability claims are processed in the manner they should be.”
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Lynn Cavanaugh
Lynn Varacalli Cavanaugh is Senior Editor, Retirement at BenefitsPRO. Prior, she was editor-in-chief of the What's New in Benefits & Compensation newsletter. She has worked for major firms in the employee benefits space, Vanguard and Willis Towers Watson, as well as top media companies, including Condé Nast and American Media.
