Senate Confirms Frank Bisignano as Social Security Commissioner amid Debate over Agency’s Future

On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed Frank Bisignano as the new commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), finalizing a key appointment under the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Bisignano, chairman and CEO of financial technology company Fiserv Inc., was nominated by President Donald Trump in December. His confirmation vote split along party lines, with Republican lawmakers backing the nominee and Democrats expressing strong opposition, citing concerns about his ties to DOGE and potential privatization of Social Security.

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Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden led a rally opposing the nomination on Monday, warning that Bisignano’s leadership could threaten the integrity of Social Security. “We want Donald Trump to stand with working families and seniors and stop the attack on Social Security once and for all,” Wyden said.

Advocacy groups echoed those concerns following the vote. “Every Senate Republican just signed off on the DOGE destruction of Social Security,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works.

Bisignano addressed these concerns during his Senate testimony, stating, “I’ve never thought about privatizing... I don’t see this institution as anything other than a government agency that gets run for the American public.”

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He pledged to reduce SSA’s payment error rate—reported at around 1%—which contributes to overpayment issues leaving beneficiaries with large repayment obligations. “That’s five decimal places too high,” Bisignano said.

He also promised to cut long wait times for services, including reducing phone hold times and streamlining disability claims. “I think we could get that to under a minute,” he said of SSA’s call wait times, proposing the use of AI to improve efficiency.