MW DOGE operative named chief information officer at Social Security Administration: report

By Jessica Hall

Court had restricted DOGE members from accessing SSA systems with personal data

The Social Security Administration elevated a Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, affiliate to the role of chief information officer amid a court order that had restricted anyone associated with DOGE from accessing beneficiaries' personal data, a new report said.

According to a report by the newsletter Popular Information, the Social Security Administration on Tuesday named Scott Coulter, a DOGE operative who had been assigned to both the SSA and NASA, as the agency's new chief information officer.

The previous CIO, Michael Russo, was named a senior adviser, the report said, citing an internal memo from the SSA.

The report comes as a federal judge last week issued a temporary restraining order that prohibited the SSA, acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek and Russo from allowing DOGE or any members of the DOGE team to access personal-information records.

"The reality is that Elon Musk's DOGE minions have control of the Social Security Administration. It is clear they do not want to comply with the temporary restraining order, even though there is no legitimate reason for them to rummage around in everyone's personal data," said Nancy Altman, president of the advocacy group Social Security Works.

Dudek was named as head of the agency after the former acting SSA commissioner, Michelle King, stepped down after refusing to provide representatives from Elon Musk's DOGE access to systems containing beneficiaries' data, according to media reports.

The restraining order stemmed from a federal lawsuit filed by labor unions - including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO and American Federation of Teachers $(AFT)$ - that alleged DOGE officials were accessing confidential data in violation of federal privacy laws.

Under DOGE, the SSA has announced a massive restructuring that includes cutting 7,000 jobs, or 12% of its workforce, and closing some regional offices and field offices. It also announced plans to eliminate the use of telephone services for direct-deposit transactions.

During Tuesday's confirmation hearing for Frank Bisignano, President Donald Trump's nominee to head the SSA, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said a whistleblower had asserted that Bisignano had been in contact with the SSA for weeks. Bisignano told the Senate Finance Committee that he had talked to Russo, but not Dudek.

The SSA did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

-Jessica Hall

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March 26, 2025 16:55 ET (20:55 GMT)

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