New head of Social Security, hired from Wall Street, tells staff he had to Google the job when he was offered it

Yahoo

22-05-2025

The newly sworn-in head of the Social Security Administration told agency staff this week that when he was first offered the job in the Trump administration, he wasn't familiar with the position and had to look it up online.
Frank Bisignano, a former Wall Street executive, said during a town hall with Social Security managers from around the country on Wednesday that he wasn't seeking a position in the Trump administration when he received a call about leading the SSA.
"So, I get a phone call and it's about Social Security. And I'm really, I'm really not, I swear I'm not looking for a job," Bisignano said, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by ABC News. "And I'm like, 'Well, what am I going to do?' So, I'm Googling Social Security. You know, one of my great skills, I'm one of the great Googlers on the East Coast."
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"I'm like, 'What the heck's the commissioner of Social Security?'" said Bisignano, who now oversees one of the largest federal agencies that's responsible for distributing retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to more than 70 million Americans.
"Put that as the headline for the Post: 'Great Googler in Chief. Chief in Googler' or whatever," said Bisignano, who throughout the meeting repeatedly bemoaned media leaks from within the agency.
While Bisignano, who previously served as chairman and CEO of financial technology company Fiserv Inc., brings experience managing large organizations and overseeing complex payment systems to his new role, he has no prior history working in government or with the Social Security system.
A Social Security official told ABC News that Bisignano is "working to transform the agency into a premier service organization."
"He is visiting offices and meeting employees to hear their ideas for how the agency can better serve customers in-person, on the telephone, and online," the official said. "As the Commissioner evaluates the agency, he has been clear that SSA will have the right staffing to deliver Americans their hard-earned benefits."
"Clearly, Commissioner Bisignano was poking fun at himself so that everyone in the room felt comfortable having an open conversation about improving service for the American people," the official added.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston, in a statement to ABC News, said, "Commissioner Bisignano brings a valuable and much-needed outside perspective to the Social Security Administration. Commissioner Bisignano's proven success in the financial services industry uniquely positions him to lead the Trump Administration's commonsense efforts to modernize the agency and improve its efficiency."
In Wednesday's 90-minute call, Bisignano sought to calm concerns about the future of the agency amid recent leadership turnover and scrutiny from Elon Musk's government-slashing Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.
He told the managers in the meeting that Social Security was "not going away," adding that President Trump also agrees with that.
"This is America's, you know, safety net -- it's not going away. And hopefully you hear me say this every day," he said. "You know who wants me to tell people that? Guess. The president."
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"I've gotten notes about, 'Will the turmoil of the last five months end? Are you here to cause more turmoil?'" he said. "I don't think it's the turmoil of the past five months, although I will be the fifth since, you know, November, right?" Bisignano said, referring to being the fifth person put in charge of the critical agency since Trump was reelected in November.
"Are we having fun yet? Are we OK?" he asked those on the call.
Bisignano told the managers that they needed to believe that DOGE was "helping to make things better" even if "it may not feel that way."
"Who's heard of DOGE? Raise your hand, right? Your bias has to be, because mine is, DOGE is helping make things better. It may not feel that way, but don't believe everything you read."
He said DOGE would be involved in rebuilding the Social Security website and integrating artificial intelligence into the agency's phone support systems.
The head of the agency also told managers that the SSA must adopt a "digital-first" mindset to meet the expectations of the American public, comparing the agency to how consumers interact with tech giants like Amazon.
"You're competing with experiences that people have with Amazon, right? So if I could get something done at Amazon, why can't I get something done the same way with Social Security? That's how people think."
Bisignano's officially joins the agency following months of upheaval at the SSA, which has seen a revolving door of leadership amid DOGE's sweeping efforts to overhaul the agency by modernizing its operations and cutting costs. Among the changes DOGE is pushing are staff reassignments, digital infrastructure overhauls, and the controversial outsourcing of certain administrative functions, according to sources.
Bisignano also said he does not intend to implement reductions in force, or RIFs, at the agency, at least for now. "I have no intent to RIF people, OK? Because that's the big question," he said.
When the Wall Street veteran was named Trump's pick to lead the agency, he faced backlash from Democrats and activists who claimed his selection threatened the future of the Social Security program. In early May, lawmakers, union leaders, and activists protested his selection outside the U.S. Capitol ahead of the Senate vote on his nomination.
On Wednesday's call, Bisignano appeared to revel in the news.
MORE: Top Social Security official steps down after clash with DOGE, sources say
"Did you guys know there was a protest against me? Who knows there was a protest against me?" he said. "I like that protest -- I want to prove them so wrong, man, this is going to be most fun I ever had."
"I mean, think of that -- a poor boy from Brooklyn, from a multi-generational household with a dad who worked in the federal government, and senators picketing that I'm going to ruin it," he said. "No way -- make it great, right?"
Bisignano, during the call, returned several times to his concerns about leaks to the press, suggesting that he would sniff them out.
"My father was a DA and I'm a detective at heart, so I can figure stuff out," he said.
New head of Social Security, hired from Wall Street, tells staff he had to Google the job when he was offered it originally appeared on abcnews.go.com