What Do You Expect From Frank Bisignano?

      Frank Bisignano is likely to be confirmed as Social Security Commissioner tomorrow. What do you expect from him?

     More than anything else I’m expecting harshness towards the public and Social Security employees. We may see novel interpretations of the Social Security Act to end benefits for whole categories of people. We may see basic refusal to provide categories of service to the public. We may see targeted firings of employees on the theory that doing so will somehow increase the productivity of those not fired — the “pour encourager les autres” theory. I’m almost certain there will be a lot of thrashing about attempting to look audacious. Those are my very general guesses. What are yours?

Big Social Security Fraud Scheme — In Brazil

      From the BBC:

Brazil's Social Security Minister, Carlos Lupi, has resigned nine days after police unveiled a major corruption scandal which defrauded pensioners of $1.1bn (£829m). 

Federal police allege that over the past decade, the National Social Security Institute (INSS) made unauthorised deductions from payments made to millions of pensioners.  

The money was allegedly paid to several associations and unions, which then shared the earnings with corrupt government officials.  

Lupi has always denied any wrongdoing and said he ordered an investigation as soon as he heard about the allegations. …

DOGE Requests SCOTUS Intervention

      From The Hill:

The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to let the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access millions of Americans’ personal data stored by the Social Security Administration (SSA) while it appeals an order that iced the advisory group out. 

The emergency application asks the justices to lift a Maryland federal judge’s injunction blocking DOGE from poking around the SSA’s systems that contain personally identifiable information, including Social Security numbers, medical and mental health records, bank data, and earnings history.  …

Flat Appropriation Proposed

   If I am reading the budget documents correctly, the White House is calling for an appropriation for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins October 1st of this year, that is the same as for the current fiscal year. That is, in effect, a cut in funding when inflation is considered and inflation may be quite significant because of the Trump tariffs.

A Poll

 

online polls

Bisignano Nomination Advances

    The Senate has invoked cloture to advance the nomination of Frank Bisignano to become Commissioner of Social Security. It was a party line vote with some absences. I don't know how much longer it will take to finally approve the nomination.

    A party line vote on this is a bad sign for Social Security and for the country.

Bisignano Nomination Moving Forward

      From a summary of expected action on the floor of the U.S. Senate prepared by Senate Democrats:

During Tuesday’s session cloture was filed on Executive Calendar #60, Frank Bisignano, of New Jersey, to be Commissioner of Social Security Administration for the term expiring January 19, 2031.  Cloture is expected to ripen during Thursday’s session.

    This has to be a sign that the nomination is moving forward but don’t ask me to predict when to expect final action.

Next Stop SCOTUS?

      The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals rules that DOGE may not have access to Social Security databases.