Social Security’s Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek has penned (or more likely someone penned for him) an Op Ed in the right wing NY Post. Warning: You may find it infuriating.
I think we can now say that the Social Security Administration is thoroughly politicized.
Garbage op ed piece. He's taking credit for HIT which has been around a decade ago or more. He's taking credit for the Fairness Act which he had nothing to do with. A whimsical story out of Wisconsin also probably never happened. Eliminating 10% of the workforce instead of 12% is a meaningless metric.
ReplyDeleteSo many SSA executives take credit for work under their tenure. Every leader does, but glad they recognize the efforts.
DeleteYep. That is the shame — entirely politicized. Pure progressive piece.
ReplyDeleteCare to explain how the op-ed qualifies as a “progressive piece?” Because all of us literate non-nutjobs are dying to hear your explanation.
DeletePropaganda should say. Not progressive …. Spell auto.
Deletei see no upside to reading it, but thank you for the warning. We will sit and see what happens to the agency and decide if it is worth my time to try and provide services or if it is time to walk away from social services and leave it to the younger folks to rebuild.
ReplyDelete“Throughout this customer-focused transformation, we have treated our employees with dignity and respect.”
ReplyDeleteIs he kidding? The constant threats of firing if we didn’t quit or take demotions is considered respectful? I don’t think so, Dookie.
This is one of the most disingenuous pieces I've ever seen. SSA is like a building hit by a flood: Many valuables have been swept away, with much of what is left is damaged and disorganized, and in the coming months, we'll really start to see the mold, mildew, and rot setting in.
ReplyDeleteImagine championing how "humane" everything has been as though employees haven't spent the better part of the last few months living in fear of their careers, their homes, and their mental well-being, even as the agency weaponizes things like student debts, the Maine enumerations, and phony baloney death dates being plopped on to records.
It's just frustrating. The people repeatedly kicking in the sand castle are the same ones pointing at it and saying "See? Stronger than ever!" even when the data demonstrably does not back that up.
I don't think anyone really buys what they're selling, except maybe the most die-hard believers.
Love that metaphor!
DeleteMost American people will believe anything they read. They guzzle down disinformation as if it were the most addictive substance known to man. How wayward, undisciplined, and ignorant America has become.
ReplyDeleteCan someone please explain how ANY federal government worker has been treated with dignity and respect since 01/20?
ReplyDeleteLeland definitely wrote that himself. He got the job in the first place by writing sycophantic LinkedIn posts sounding exactly like this.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I have known him for 15 years. He definitely wrote it.
DeleteI just lost my lunch!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIf Dudek thinks telework is bad why are ALJs still teleworking full time?
ReplyDeleteALJs are not teleworking full time.
DeleteLeland Dudek is the individual that helped DOGE obtain private information on beneficiaries and then was PROMOTED to lead the SSA agency. By the way, Leland Dudek is still being investigated for his actions.
ReplyDeleteInvestigated? Fat chance anything comes of that!!!!
DeleteCaptain Leland Dudek is most famous for his role at the helm of the SSA Titanic,
ReplyDeleteNot a bad start. Not at all.
Leland Dudek received his Republican talking point of blaming Biden.
ReplyDeleteWhen asked for an interview to discuss customer service delays and long wait times, a spokesperson provided a statement from Acting Commissioner of Social Security Lee Dudek, blaming former President Joe Biden, the agency's prior work-from-home policy and "advancing radical DEI and gender ideology over improving service for all Americans."
"The result was long wait times for customer service, unconscionable delays for benefit decisions, and insufficient stewardship of Americans’ hard-earned benefits," Dudek said in the statement. "With our dedicated employees now leading the way, SSA will deliver on President Trump’s promise to protect Social Security by providing the high-quality service and stewardship that the American people expect and deserve."
Hold times on the 1-800 number were averaged 1 hour under the Biden administration and are now up to 90 minutes per call, Social Security Administration data shows. The wait times when USA TODAY placed calls to the 1-800 number over the past week ranged from 90 minutes to 150 minutes. Several times the line disconnected without reaching a live person.
I must have a secret masochistic streak, because I read it. All I can say is that Pravda would blush to publish this. And that I hope one day someone treats Mr. Dudek with the exact same “respect and dignity” he showed the workforce.
ReplyDeleteI read it. Not a surprise. Sounds like typical things one hears from those at the top who don't do or know about the actual work.
ReplyDeletewtf is "outdated" about telework arrangements?????
ReplyDeleteThey are “outdated” because the current administration’s goal is to make us all so miserable we will quit. Work/life balance and job security are so 2024.
DeleteThe Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law on January 5, 2025. The benefits due under that law were not long-delayed as Dudek claimed. It did take time to process the claims, but it's only been 4 months.
ReplyDeleteWhile the Social Security Administration has confirmed 2.3 million Americans have already received updates to their benefits as of April 25, just under a million still have yet to see any changes in May.
DeleteThe speed of the updated benefits comes thanks to automated calculations for simple cases, but more complex ones will take employee oversight before they can be sent out.
All affected Social Security recipients are expected to have their situation resolved and updated payment amounts by November.
It's best to watch out for a notice from the SSA, as it should let Americans know the exact details of when their updated payment will start and how much the increase is.
Please let DOGE examine those almost a million Social Security Fairness Act cases awaiting action and see if they can get that job completed prior to November.
DeleteMaybe pay an estimated 85% of payments due for each and every beneficiary in May, and the rest later.
For the sake of transparency, SSA should report the 3 most common factors by the number and % of those awaiting action.
What % and number of cases are for widows/widowers?
What % and number of cases are for people over 70 years old?
What % and number of cases are for people who are disabled?
It reflects very poorly on SSA when people due benefits die before receiving what they are due.
“That day, our staff, leaner, faster, refocused — got him the answer he needed. As he stood to leave, he looked up and simply said, “Thank you for seeing us.”’
ReplyDeleteWhat a strange piece of fiction and all around bizarre man. Good riddance.
Not a Leland fan, but to be honest, doesn’t sound all that different from some of O’Malley’s statements.
ReplyDeleteYes O'Malley said the same crap as Leland and made up a bunch of stuff. He was all about the cameras. Then he left as soon as possible and when he lost another election (something he does well), he came crawling back as Mr. Social Security. Ever since 2024 agency leadership has been abysmal.
ReplyDeleteI allowed the death master file index to be falsified to harm immigrants. I broke trust with the public by letting outsiders troll through information that they trusted that we would keep private. I helped demoralize and reduce the SSA workforce at a time when every worker was needed. I used my office and position to cancel contracts with a state to enable political retribution. "Not a bad start. Not at all."
ReplyDeleteI threatened to bar all SSA employees from our systems, effectively shutting down the agency, because I got my feelings hurt over a temporary restraining order against DOGE.
DeleteLike so much of what has been pushed out lately, it reads like Dear Leader missives from North Korea.
ReplyDeleteAnd, there was nothing "Fair" about the Fairness Act. A sop to labor unions for State Employees and the connivance of Representatives in Congress that should, but did not, know better or just didn't care.
Related to Health IT partnerships, the current Deputy Commissioner of Law and Policy, Mark Steffensen, is a polical appointee who is working to pull Health IT into his department. Why? Health records will be shared in a government-wide database under DOGE supervision. The idea is to manage this data with Schedule-F staff.
ReplyDelete