More On The Commissioner’s Lawsuit: A Replica Of J.P. Morgan’s Library?

Morgan Library

     From MSN:

Frank Bisignano has two demanding jobs, running the Social Security Administration and serving as the CEO of the Internal Revenue Service during tax season.  

But these days the Trump administration heavyweight has something else to worry about: He’s locked in a fight over a pair of Muhammad Ali’s boxing shorts.  

Eric Inselberg, a sports memorabilia buff and entrepreneur, said he gave the prized gear to his former friend Bisignano years ago as collateral for a $500,000 loan. Inselberg said he settled the debt but Bisignano has nonetheless refused to return the trunks, which he estimates are now worth $800,000. Bisignano countered he was never given the white shorts with black stripes, which Ali wore the last time he fought at Madison Square Garden in 1977. ... 

Inselberg, in a deposition, described Bisignano as an “apex predator” who is holding on to the shorts out of spite. “He’s vindictive,” Inselberg said. “He thinks he can do whatever he wants.” ... 

“He tries to distance himself from the fact he’s a closeted collector, because he doesn’t want to be associated with collectors or fanboys at a convention,” Inselberg said. “He thinks he’s bigger than that, but he is a collector.” ...

In a deposition, Lampson discussed a 2012 dinner that he and Fitzgerald attended at Bisignano’s New Jersey home. The evening stood out for many reasons, he said, especially a tour of a nearby, newly built mansion that Bisignano planned to move into. The residence included a replica of J.P. Morgan’s ornate personal library as well as a urinal in a bathroom. 

 The unusual loo prompted chuckling guests to ask their host why he had it. “I got it because I can have it,” Lampson recalled Bisignano saying.  

“Frank can be a little arrogant about things sometimes,” Lampson added. ...

    I’ve actually been to the Morgan Library. I can’t even conceive of trying to replicate it.  What’s next? Will Musk try to replicate Versailles?

Threat To Understaffed Field Offices

     From Government Executive: 

Officials with the nation’s largest federal employee union on Friday raised concerns that a 2024 law enabling the General Services Administration to offload federal property based on low occupancy rates could mistakenly target busy Social Security Administration field offices for closure.  

In recent months, SSA has implemented a “badge in/badge out” system for measuring how many employees work at the agency’s various offices around the country. That’s part of the federal government’s broader effort to implement the provisions of the 2024 Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act—USE IT, for short. The USE IT Act requires federal agencies track the occupancy rates of their various buildings, with a goal of at least 60% occupancy. If a particular office consistently fails to hit that threshold, GSA is empowered to take steps to shrink that agency’s physical footprint. …  

AFGE Council 220 President Jessica LaPointe, whose union represents field office and teleservice center employees, told Government Executive that basing whether or not to offload an office solely on employee occupancy data could have unintended consequences at an understaffed agency like SSA. Without additional data, such as non-employee foot traffic or customer demand, a busy but understaffed could be erroneously targeted for closure. …

SSA Appeals Arbitrator Ruling On Telework

      From Federal News Network:

The Social Security Administration is appealing an arbitrator’s decision requiring the agency to restore telework for its employees.

A third-party arbitrator ruled last month that SSA violated its collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees when it indefinitely suspended telework, and ordered the agency to restore workplace flexibilities that had been in place before mid-March 2025.

An SSA spokesperson said in a statement Friday that the agency has appealed the case to the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which has a majority of Trump appointees. SSA is not obligated to comply with the arbitrator’s decision while the case is under FLRA appeal. …

Bisignano Ventures To Brooklyn

      From a Social Security press release:

Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano today visited a Social Security field office in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn joined by Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11). They met with local staff and highlighted historic tax relief measures benefitting seniors and working families across the borough.

Before touring the field office, Commissioner Bisignano and Congresswoman Malliotakis held a press conference to discuss the historic tax relief enacted through President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts Act last year, including the enhanced tax deduction for older Americans, ensuring that most retirees are keeping more of their hard-earned benefits. …

     I suppose it goes without saying that no prior Social Security Commissioner would have engaged in such open campaigning for a President’s domestic policy achievement, if this is an achievement. 

Bisignano In Dispute Over Muhammad Ali Trunks

      From Newser:

The trunks that Muhammad Ali wore to his last Madison Square Garden fight in 1977 are now at the center of a long-running feud between a top federal official and a sports memorabilia collector. The Wall Street Journal reports that IRS and Social Security Administration chief Frank Bisignano is battling entrepreneur Eric Inselberg, who says he put the white shorts with black stripes up as partial collateral for a $500,000 loan in 2010, then fully repaid the debt. Inselberg claims the shorts—now pegged by him to be worth about $800,000—never made their way back to him. Bisignano flatly denies ever receiving the trunks and dismisses their supposed value, painting Inselberg as a chronic litigant exploiting a onetime favor.

Bisignano also says he and Inselberg were never friends, as Inselberg has claimed. Inselberg, for his part, who was once indicted (and later cleared) in a fake-memorabilia case involving Giants items, calls Bisignano an "apex predator" and "closeted collector" hanging on to the gear just to drive the screw into Inselberg. "He's vindictive. He thinks he can do whatever he wants," Inselberg notes. The dispute, delayed for a trial in New Jersey until September, may hinge on a mutual friend who says he saw the Ali shorts displayed in Bisignano's "man cave." Bisignano's legal team dismisses that possible testimony, with one attorney noting, "We try cases in the courtroom, not the pressroom. We look forward to prevailing at trial." 

Bisignano To Testify At Congressional Hearing

      The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing for April 15 at which Social Security’s Commissioner will testify. Bisignano will be testifying in his capacity as CEO of the IRS, a position that doesn’t really exist, but he may get some questions about his official job at Social Security.

“A Maniacal Focus”

      From The Signal of Santa Clarita Valley:

According to Social Security Administration Commissioner and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano, the agency under President Donald Trump is taking major steps to modernize its systems and root out waste and fraud. 

“I would say I’m bringing an operational focus to it that I … honed in all my years of being at the top of the largest financial institutions of the world,” Bisignano told EpochTV’s “American Thought Leaders” host Jan Jekeliek.  …

“Getting payments right is the most important thing, being able to — given the amount of money that we’re flowing — and that’s what we’ve had a maniacal focus on while delivering customer service at a level that they’ve never seen before,” Bisignano said.  …

2% Growth In SSA Workforce Projected But There Are So Many Questions

      From a Government Executive article on what is mostly intended to be staffing cuts at federal agencies:

… The Social Security Administration is looking to grow its workforce by 2% after shedding thousands of employees over the last 15 months. The agency said it will “hire strategically across our organization,” with a particular focus on front-line staff.  …

     How can they increase staffing even modestly with what will amount to a cut in the appropriation when inflation is considered? Are they playing games, assuming Congress will give the agency more than what has been requested? Maybe they just assume theyll have money because they’ll get rid of largely mythical “waste, fraud and abuse.” Maybe it’s a complete fudge. Of course, there’s always the question — why did you force so many experienced productive employees out of their jobs only to hire others who won’t really be productive for months, if not years?