WASHINGTON — The commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Frank Bisignano, came to the federal government after spending years in finance. What he says he didn’t anticipate was that Washington would be more cutthroat than Wall Street.
What You Need To Know
- Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano said, despite budget cuts at his agency, retirees aren’t seeing a decline in services.
- Part of the reason, he said, is that the Social Security Administration is employing new technology to update the agency’s practices.
- He acknowledges there have been reports of some issues, but said his agency has addressed those quickly
- Bisignano said he has not had any conversations with the Trump administration about privatizing Social Security
“The fact that things we are doing are enhancing the client experience, and people are saying it’s worse,” Bisignano said in an exclusive interview with Spectrum News.
Ahead of his Senate confirmation, Democrats called on President Donald Trump to pull Bisignano’s nomination.
“His claim to fame is cutting and shrinking,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in March. “(He’s) the last person we need to run the Social Security office.”
At the time, the Trump administration had already began to reduce the size of the federal government, including cuts at the Social Security Administration. But Bisignano said retirees aren’t seeing a decline in services.
“Our volumes have increased tremendously during this period of time, and our service levels have gotten a lot better,” he said.
Part of that, he said, is employing new technology to update the agency’s practices. He does acknowledge there have been reports of some issues.
For example, in July, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in a social media video that she was “getting calls from Americans all across the country who say they are waiting hours to get their Social Security benefits over the phone.”
But Bisignano said those concerns are always addressed quickly.
There was also recent criticism over a decision to phase out the distribution of paper checks beginning Sept. 30. The commissioner said there will be exceptions to the rule but that the move will save taxpayers money.
“Less than 1% receive checks,” he said. “So a large portion — 99 point something — already are getting electronic payments. It’s less expensive, but more important, it has less fraud.”
The commissioner said another frequent question he hears is about whether the Trump administration has plans to privatize social security.
“It’s not a conversation we’ve had at all,” he said.
Bisignano said one of the most rewarding parts of his job so far has been visiting Social Security offices across the country and hearing directly from employees and Social Security recipients.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
