Michelle King resigns as SSA commissioner clash with Musk's DOGE over Social Security data access
DOGE, established to streamline federal operations and reduce government spending, sought SSA data access to detect fraudulent claims and enhance efficiency. However, the SSA enforces strict privacy protocols to safeguard millions of Americans' sensitive personal and financial data. Critics argue that expanding access to such records could set a dangerous precedent and open the door for potential misuse of information.
A similar push by DOGE to access the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Integrated Data Retrieval System previously sparked controversy. Privacy advocates and IRS officials warned against potential confidentiality breaches, emphasizing the need for strict oversight in government data-sharing practices. (Source: IRS Official Website)
Following King's resignation, Leland Dudek was appointed as the new acting commissioner of the SSA. Dudek, known for advocating data-driven efficiency measures, has previously worked on government modernization initiatives. His appointment suggests a potential shift in SSA's stance, as he is expected to facilitate smoother collaboration with DOGE. However, no formal policy changes have been announced yet.
The resignation has triggered political debate over the balance between government efficiency and citizen privacy. Some officials support DOGE's reform efforts, arguing that data access can curb fraud, while privacy advocates and lawmakers warn against expanding government surveillance without proper safeguards. As the federal government continues pushing modernization efforts, the tension between privacy and efficiency is unlikely to subside.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
US budget deficit forecast $1 trillion higher over next decade, watchdog says
WASHINGTON: US federal budget deficits will be nearly $1 trillion higher over the next decade than projected in January by the Congressional Budget Office as a result of tax and spending legislation and tariffs, a budget watchdog said on Wednesday. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget's latest forecasts show a cumulative deficit of $22.7 trillion from fiscal 2026 to 2035, compared to the CBO's January forecast of $21.8 trillion, which was based on laws and policies that were in place before U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. The CBO, Congress' non-partisan budget referee agency, said on Monday, that it will not issue its customary mid-year budget update this year and will issue its next 10-year budget and economic outlook in early 2026, offering no explanation for the move. The CRFB, which advocates for deficit reduction, projected a $1.7 trillion deficit in fiscal 2025 or 5.6% of GDP, down slightly from $1.83 trillion in 2024 and the CBO's 2025 projection of $1.87 trillion in January. But it said deficits steadily rise over the decade, reaching $2.6 trillion or 5.9% of GDP by 2035. The new CRFB estimates include the budget effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax and spending bill, as well as Trump's tariffs that are currently in place. But like CBO, they do not include the dynamic economic effects on growth from these changes, a forecasting rule that has drawn criticism from the Trump administration. The group projects the tax cut and spending bill to increase deficits, including interest, by $4.6 trillion through 2035, adding another year to the CBO's $4.1 trillion cost estimate through 2034. But CRFB estimates that this will be offset by $3.4 trillion worth of extra import duty revenue over the next decade due to Trump's new tariffs that are currently in place. New rules restricting eligibility for health insurance subsidies will reduce deficits by another $100 billion through 2035, and Congress' rescission of prior funding to foreign aid, public broadcasting and other programs would save another $100 billion if sustained over a decade, CRFB said. Net interest payments on the national debt will total $14 trillion over the decade, CRFB projected, rising from nearly $1 trillion or 3.2% of GDP in 2025 to $1.8 trillion or 4.1% of GDP in 2035. Tariff challenge The forecasts are based on legislative and tariff changes since January but keep CBO's economic forecasts unchanged. Under an alternative scenario forecast by CRFB, the budget picture looks far worse, boosting deficits nearly $7 trillion higher than the CBO baseline. This scenario would see a significant part of Trump's tariffs canceled if the Court of International Trade's ruling against many of Trump's new tariffs is upheld, cutting $2.4 trillion from revenues over a decade. The alternative scenario also assumes extension of a number of temporary tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including tax breaks on overtime, tips, Social Security income and car loan interest, higher state and local tax deduction allowances and full expensing of factory investments, adding $1.7 trillion to deficits over 10 years. CRFB's alternative scenario also ditches the CBO's projection of a decline in 10-year U.S. Treasury yields over the decade to about 3.8%. If that interest rate stays at the current level of about 4.3%, interest costs would grow by about $1.6 trillion through 2035, CRFB said. The total 2035 debt-to-GDP ratio would grow from 118% in the CBO January baseline to 120% under the CRFB's projected baseline scenario and 134% under the CRFB's alternative scenario.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
Iran warns war with Israel could resume at any time
TEHRAN: A senior Iranian official warned Monday that war with Israel could erupt at any moment, describing the current lull after June's 12-day conflict as only a temporary halt. 'We must be prepared at every moment for confrontation; right now, we are not even in a ceasefire (agreement); we are in a cessation of hostilities,' said First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref. The fighting in June saw Israel bombard Iranian nuclear and military sites, as well as residential areas, killing more than 1,000 people, including senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes that killed dozens in Israel. The United States announced a halt in fighting on June 24, two days after it joined the war by bombing Iranian nuclear facilities. But there was no agreement formalising the ceasefire, only an undeclared pause in hostilities. On Sunday, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a military adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Iranian media the country was 'preparing plans for the worst-case scenario'. 'We are not in a ceasefire now, we are in a war phase, it could break down at any time, there is no protocol, no regulations, no agreement between us and the Israelis, between us and the Americans,' he said in remarks carried by the Shargh daily. 'A ceasefire means ceasing attacks; that could change at any time,' he added. Since then, Iranian officials have insisted the country is not seeking war but is ready for another confrontation. Western powers accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons through its atomic programme, a charge Tehran strongly denies.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Trump targets mail-in ballots
US President Donald Trump speaks after signing the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 30, REUTERS US President Donald Trump said Monday he would lead a "movement" against mail-in balloting as he sought to eliminate a voting method used by nearly a third of the country ahead of next year's midterm elections. Trump -- who has spent years railing against postal ballots, even though they have benefited his Republicans and he has voted by mail -- said he would sign an executive order to help bring "honesty" to the midterms. "I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we're at it, Highly Inaccurate, Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES," he posted on his website, Truth Social. Mail-in and absentee ballots can be counted after Election Day in 18 states so long as they're postmarked on or before that date, and just over 30 percent of those cast in the 2024 election were submitted by mail. There is no evidence that postal voting is less secure than other methods and pro-democracy groups say ending it could disenfranchise millions of Americans with disabilities and other difficulties turning out in person. But Trump repeatedly spread misinformation about the practice as he campaigned in 2020 and 2024. After his defeat in 2020, he falsely claimed that tens of thousands of fraudulent mail-in ballots had helped Democrat Joe Biden beat him. Trump said on Friday his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin -- who US investigators found interfered on the Republican's behalf in the 2016 election -- agreed with him that letting voters send in ballots by mail risked election integrity. "You know, Vladimir Putin said something, one of the most interesting things," Trump told Fox News. "He said, 'Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting.' He said, 'Mail-in voting, every election.' He said, 'No country has mail-in voting. It's impossible to have mail-in voting and have honest elections.'"
