Larson Statement on the Resignation of Acting Social Security Administration Commissioner Michelle King Following Musk-Trump Demands
East Hartford, CT – Today, House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John B. Larson (CT-01) released the following statement after Acting Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Michelle King resigned over a dispute with Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’ and was reportedly replaced by a non-senior official.
“I commend Acting Commissioner King for refusing to succumb to Elon Musk and his cronies’ demands to access highly sensitive and confidential beneficiary data," said Larson. “It should alarm all Americans that Donald Trump is willing to push out anyone who does not show strict obedience to an unelected, unaccountable billionaire. This has nothing to do with ‘government efficiency’ and everything to do with ensuring the billionaire class controls the levers of power with no guardrails or accountability. House Democrats have introduced legislation to protect Americans from this unprecedented power grab and breach of taxpayer privacy. It is now up to Republicans, who control both the House and the Senate, to join us in this effort to protect the American people’s financial security.”
The resignation of Acting Commissioner King follows the departure of then-Acting Treasury Secretary David Lebryk, who similarly resisted ‘DOGE’ efforts to access sensitive payment systems containing confidential taxpayer data, including the names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of Americans. Last week, Larson sent a letter to Acting Social Security Administration Commissioner King about the importance of protecting Social Security beneficiaries’ information from Elon Musk and 'DOGE.'
House Democrats, including the entire Connecticut delegation, introduced the Taxpayer Data Protection Act to block people with conflicts of interest or without a security clearance from accessing the U.S. Treasury’s payment system. Rep. Larson also introduced theEnding DOGE Conflicts Act to stop Elon Musk from working until he files a public financial disclosure and faces review from the independent Office of Government Ethics.