March 21, 2025

Acting Social Security Commissioner Threatens to Hold 73 Million Americans’ Benefits Hostage

Washington, D.C. — Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, issued the following statement regarding Acting Social Security Commissioner Lee Dudek’s threats to shut down the Social Security Administration (SSA) in response to Judge Hollander’s Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Federation of Teachers v. Social Security Administration (SSA).

“Commissioner Dudek should take a deep breath and remember that he works for the American people. His first and most important responsibility as Acting Commissioner is to ensure that Social Security benefits are paid on time and without interruption. For 89 years and six months, the Social Security Administration has done just that—through wars, national emergencies, and natural disasters—without any assistance from Elon Musk or his DOGE team members.

“It defies common sense to suggest that blocking 10 untrained and uncleared individuals from poking around in individual Social Security records would bring SSA’s operations to a halt.

“Americans have earned their Social Security benefits and expect them to be paid on time. They also have the right to expect that their data will be handled carefully and in full compliance with the law.”

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Contact: Lisa Cutler, lcutler@retiredamericans.org