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Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Social Security commissioner admits anger at Maine governor over Trump clash was behind change to newborn policy
In an extraordinary admission, Social Security Administration acting Commissioner Lee Dudek told the New York Times that his decision to require parents of newborns in Maine to apply in person for a Social Security number in an office rather than by simply filling out a form at the hospital came about because he "was ticked" at the state's governor, Janet Mills. 'I was ticked at the governor of Maine for not being real cordial to the president,' Dudek told the paper in reference to a testy White House exchange between Mills and President Trump over his executive order banning transgender women from competing in women's sports. 'I screwed up. I'll admit I screwed up.' On March 5, Maine's Department of Health and Human Services sent out an email notifying hospitals and birth centers that 'effective immediately, the option for parents to participate in the enumeration at birth process will be suspended,' the Portland Press Herald reported, adding that the agency was following guidance given to it by the Social Security Administration. The suspension of the program in Maine drew swift rebukes from health care providers in the state. 'It makes absolutely no sense to me at all to do this,' Dr. Joe Anderson, advocacy chair of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the Press Herald. 'I see no logical explanation for forcing parents and newborns — with 11,000 babies born in Maine every year — to sit in a crowded waiting room, when we have done this easily, securely and efficiently for decades.' On March 7, Dudek reversed his decision to suspend the decades-old policy that is in place in all 50 states, calling it a mistake. 'I recently directed Social Security employees to end two contracts which affected the good people of the state of Maine. The two contracts are Enumeration at Birth (EAB), which helps new parents quickly request a Social Security number and card for their newborn before leaving the hospital, and Electronic Death Registry (EDR) which shares recorded deaths with Social Security,' Dudek said in the statement posted to the Social Security website. 'In retrospect, I realize that ending these contracts created an undue burden on the people of Maine, which was not the intent. For that, I apologize and have directed that both contracts be immediately reinstated. EAB and EDR continue in place for every state and were not affected. As a leader, I will admit my mistakes and make them right.' On Saturday, Trump demanded that Mills offer him a "full-throated apology" for challenging the legality of his executive order on trans athletes. "While the State of Maine has apologized for their Governor's strong, but totally incorrect, statement about men playing in women's sports while at the White House House Governor's Conference, we have not heard from the Governor herself, and she is the one that matters in such cases," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Saturday morning. Mills responded to Trump's demand on Monday at an event in Bangor. "If the current occupant of the White House wants to protect women and girls, he should start by protecting the women and teenage girls who are suffering miscarriages and dying because they can't get basic, lifesaving health care in states across this country," Mills said. "If he truly cares about women and girls and people of this country, let's see the economic plan. Let's see the health care plan. Let's see the education plan." For now, the enumeration at birth procedure remains in place in Maine. On its website, the Social Security Administration describes the process as one of convenience. 'The Enumeration at Birth (EAB) program eliminates the need for a parent to gather the necessary documents, complete an Application for a Social Security Card (SS-5), and take or mail original documents to a local Social Security office for processing,' SSA states. Citing his missteps as commissioner and Trump's current pick to head the SSA, Dudek told the Times that he did not expect his tenure at Social Security to last very long. 'I can't imagine the nominee would want to keep me after the way I've been doing things here,' Dudek said.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Social Security commissioner admits anger at Maine governor over Trump clash was behind change to newborn policy
In an extraordinary admission, Social Security Administration acting Commissioner Lee Dudek told the New York Times that his decision to require parents of newborns in Maine to apply in person for a Social Security number in an office rather than by simply filling out a form at the hospital came about because he "was ticked" at the state's governor, Janet Mills. 'I was ticked at the governor of Maine for not being real cordial to the president,' Dudek told the paper in reference to a testy White House exchange between Mills and President Trump over his executive order banning transgender women from competing in women's sports. 'I screwed up. I'll admit I screwed up.' On March 5, Maine's Department of Health and Human Services sent out an email notifying hospitals and birth centers that 'effective immediately, the option for parents to participate in the enumeration at birth process will be suspended,' the Portland Press Herald reported, adding that the agency was following guidance given to it by the Social Security Administration. The suspension of the program in Maine drew swift rebukes from health care providers in the state. 'It makes absolutely no sense to me at all to do this,' Dr. Joe Anderson, advocacy chair of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the Press Herald. 'I see no logical explanation for forcing parents and newborns — with 11,000 babies born in Maine every year — to sit in a crowded waiting room, when we have done this easily, securely and efficiently for decades.' On March 7, Dudek reversed his decision to suspend the decades-old policy that is in place in all 50 states, calling it a mistake. 'I recently directed Social Security employees to end two contracts which affected the good people of the state of Maine. The two contracts are Enumeration at Birth (EAB), which helps new parents quickly request a Social Security number and card for their newborn before leaving the hospital, and Electronic Death Registry (EDR) which shares recorded deaths with Social Security,' Dudek said in the statement posted to the Social Security website. 'In retrospect, I realize that ending these contracts created an undue burden on the people of Maine, which was not the intent. For that, I apologize and have directed that both contracts be immediately reinstated. EAB and EDR continue in place for every state and were not affected. As a leader, I will admit my mistakes and make them right.' On Saturday, Trump demanded that Mills offer him a "full-throated apology" for challenging the legality of his executive order on trans athletes. "While the State of Maine has apologized for their Governor's strong, but totally incorrect, statement about men playing in women's sports while at the White House House Governor's Conference, we have not heard from the Governor herself, and she is the one that matters in such cases," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Saturday morning. Mills responded to Trump's demand on Monday at an event in Bangor. "If the current occupant of the White House wants to protect women and girls, he should start by protecting the women and teenage girls who are suffering miscarriages and dying because they can't get basic, lifesaving health care in states across this country," Mills said. "If he truly cares about women and girls and people of this country, let's see the economic plan. Let's see the health care plan. Let's see the education plan." For now, the enumeration at birth procedure remains in place in Maine. On its website, the Social Security Administration describes the process as one of convenience. 'The Enumeration at Birth (EAB) program eliminates the need for a parent to gather the necessary documents, complete an Application for a Social Security Card (SS-5), and take or mail original documents to a local Social Security office for processing,' SSA states. Citing his missteps as commissioner and Trump's current pick to head the SSA, Dudek told the Times that he did not expect his tenure at Social Security to last very long. 'I can't imagine the nominee would want to keep me after the way I've been doing things here,' Dudek said.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Official Makes Humiliating Social Security U-Turn
A Trump official has been forced into a humiliating climb-down after trying to make life more difficult for the parents of newborns in a state whose governor is feuding with the president. The acting Social Security commissioner on Thursday announced that Maine parents would not be able to register their newborns for a social security number at the hospital, sparking an immediate backlash. But less than 24 hours later, Lee Dudek reversed course and apologized. 'In retrospect, I realize that ending these contracts created an undue burden on the people of Maine, which was not the intent. For that, I apologize,' Lee Dudek said in a statement. Dudek offered no explanation for his move, but Trump recently attacked Maine Governor Janet Mills for refusing to comply with his order banning transgender women from competing in women's sports. 'See you in court‚" Mills said in response to Trump's threat to strip the state of its federal funding. It's unclear why the Enumeration at Birth (EAB) program, available in all states since 1997, was halted, although it may have been targeted by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, with Musk himself calling Social Security a 'Ponzi scheme.' Dudek, a mid-level employee at the Social Security Administration until three weeks ago, was elevated to acting commissioner by Trump after he was initially placed on leave for helping DOGE infiltrate the administration. In a now deleted LinkedIn post, he wrote, 'I confess. I bullied agency executives, shared executive contact information, and circumvented the chain of command to connect DOGE with the people who get stuff done.' The post apparently caught Trump's eye, who then appointed Dudek as acting commissioner, putting him in charge of overseeing the monthly benefits for more than 70 million people. Martin O'Malley, who headed the Social Security Administration from 2023 to 2024, recently warned that social security checks could stop going out within 30 to 90 days. Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren criticized Dudek's appointment to the post in a scathing letter to him. 'The circumstances of your appointment raise questions about the truthfulness of President Trump's assertion that 'Social Security will not be touched [by DOGE],' she wrote. Thursday's decision to cancel the EAB program was widely criticized, with advocates for pediatrics in Maine calling the move as unnecessary, unfair and burdensome. The Electronic Death Registry program (EDR), which automatically shares death records with Social Security, was also canceled before being reinstated on Friday. When the Daily Beast reached out to Dudek's press office for comment, it referred the Beast back to the press release without offering any further explanation for the move.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
After outcry, acting Social Security director reverses course on Maine newborn policy
Social Security Administration acting Commissioner Lee Dudek announced Friday that he was reversing his decision to suspend a program in Maine that allows parents to apply for a Social Security number for newborn infants by simply filling out a form at the hospital. Available in all 50 states, the enumeration at birth process spared parents from the trouble of having to apply for a Social Security card in person at an office. 'I recently directed Social Security employees to end two contracts which affected the good people of the state of Maine. The two contracts are Enumeration at Birth (EAB), which helps new parents quickly request a Social Security number and card for their newborn before leaving the hospital, and Electronic Death Registry (EDR) which shares recorded deaths with Social Security,' Dudek said in a statement posted to the Social Security website. 'In retrospect, I realize that ending these contracts created an undue burden on the people of Maine, which was not the intent. For that, I apologize and have directed that both contracts be immediately reinstated. EAB and EDR continue in place for every state and were not affected. As a leader, I will admit my mistakes and make them right.' See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Left unexplained was why the change to the decades-old enumeration at birth practice was undertaken in the first place. On Wednesday, Maine's Department of Health and Human Services sent out an email notifying hospitals and birth centers that 'effective immediately, the option for parents to participate in the enumeration at birth process will be suspended,' the Portland Press Herald reported. The Maine DHHS said that it was following guidance given to it by the Social Security Administration. On its website, the Social Security Administration describes the enumeration at birth process as one of convenience. 'The Enumeration at Birth (EAB) program eliminates the need for a parent to gather the necessary documents, complete an Application for a Social Security Card (SS-5), and take or mail original documents to a local Social Security office for processing,' SSA states. The suspension of the program in Maine drew swift rebukes from healthcare providers in the state. 'It makes absolutely no sense to me at all to do this,' Dr. Joe Anderson, advocacy chair of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the Press Herald. 'I see no logical explanation for forcing parents and newborns — with 11,000 babies born in Maine every year — to sit in a crowded waiting room, when we have done this easily, securely and efficiently for decades.' The parents of newborns need to obtain a child's Social Security number in order to apply for a child tax credit on income tax forms, and the enumeration at birth program helped speed along that process. On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order that seeks to curtail birthright citizenship. The order states that 'the Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.' The order also directs the secretary of state, the attorney general, the homeland security secretary and the commissioner of Social Security to 'take all appropriate measures to ensure that the regulations and policies of their respective departments and agencies are consistent with this order.' But Trump's order was paused last month by a federal judge in New Hampshire after being challenged in court by civil rights advocates in Maine and other states.
Boston Globe
07-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump administration rescinds new order requiring Maine parents visit Social Security office to register newborns
'The two contracts are Enumeration at Birth (EAB), which helps new parents quickly request a Social Security number and card for their newborn before leaving the hospital, and Electronic Death Registry (EDR) which shares recorded deaths with Social Security,' Dudek said. Advertisement That new policy would've required new parents to visit one of the state's eight Social Security offices to enroll their infants in the program, ending protocols in place since the 1980s allowing parents to check a box at the hospital to receive a Social Security card in the mail, The Herald reported that state officials in Maine had been informed of the new policy, now rescinded, earlier this week via email. 'In retrospect, I realize that ending these contracts created an undue burden on the people of Maine, which was not the intent,' Dudek said Friday. 'For that, I apologize and have directed that both contracts be immediately reinstated. EAB and EDR continue in place for every state and were not affected. As a leader, I will admit my mistakes and make them right.' President Trump and his benefactor Elon Musk, the world's richest man who is heading up an effort to cut what the administration deems waste in federal government, have said Social Security is replete with fraud that must be curbed. Social Security Advertisement The program faces a looming bankruptcy date if it is not addressed by Congress. The May 2024 Social Security and Medicare trustees' report states that Social Security's trust funds — which cover old age and disability recipients — will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2035. Then, Social Security would only be able to pay 83 percent of benefits. This is a developing story. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at
