this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2025

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654

Top Social Security official steps down after disagreement with DOGE over sensitive data (www.nbcnews.com)

submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

90 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Summary

Michelle King, the top Social Security official, resigned after refusing Elon Musk's request for sensitive records, including Social Security numbers and bank data.

Trump appointed Leland Dudek as acting commissioner and nominated Frank Bisignano for the role.

Nancy Altman of Social Security Works condemned DOGE’s request, warning, “I don’t think you can overstate how serious this breach is.”

DOGE’s similar attempts at the IRS and Treasury have sparked legal challenges over privacy concerns.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Everyone complaining about this and calling them a coward: Trump and his crimes won't respect the law now, what makes you think this bureaucrat can obstruct anything? Trump will absolutely go over the heads of anyone refusing his orders.

Better to resign and not be complicit than sit by and let your name be anywhere near this shit.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago

People tried staying and being an "inside" ally during Trump's first term. In the end, it just helped his administration maintain a veneer of competency.

Leave. Let the institution fall. Collapse of the systems people rely on is the only way to gather overwhelming popular support to contain Trump's destruction.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Why resign? Keep refusing the order. You can’t keep blocking it if you don’t work there anymore. They will eventually fire you, but that will slow things down.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It was probably a "you resign now after you tell me no, or we get you fired in an hour" or something along those lines.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I'm gonna have to keep saying this, but if you know you're hours away from being fired, you can quit and make the first statement on the matter. That way, you control the narrative. If they got fired, they'd just be another static.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Or they go right over their head because Trump respects nothing of procedure that doesn't benefit him, they slow down nothing, and now they're also complicit

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

sounds like Trump is coming after your social security cheque

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The boomers in denial as they lose their ss is pretty funny.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

They'll blame it on the deep state.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Don’t we need more people to step the fuck up?

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[–] [email protected] 252 points 3 days ago (6 children)

STOP GETTING OUT OF THE WAY

Stay at your post for fuck's sake. Make them fight you. Drag it out, make it slow and expensive, make them look bad.

Don't just offer them your chair and the keys to the kingdom and tell them here let your stooge take over, have fun

[–] [email protected] 126 points 3 days ago (8 children)

She's likely worried about repercussions, about her family. I wouldn't doubt that she already received threats.

[–] [email protected] 74 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I 100% believe that's what's happening, and is part of the reason he's going after everybody's most personal details first. He wants blackmail material, for anybody who doesn't accept his buyouts.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 days ago

Kompromat*

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 days ago

There are always very good reasons for pulling up stakes in the current climate but we can and should put social pressure on these people until they share those good reasons. And maybe they can't right now but don't let them off the hook because you can imagine a reasonable scenario.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 days ago

I wouldn't put death or rape threats past the MAGA/DOGE team

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[–] [email protected] 75 points 3 days ago (10 children)

Why are all you mfs resigning stand your ground come on. If you leave they just appoint some yes man fuck.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago

I assume, albeit with no proof, that they are being threatened, e.g. "w e know where your kids go to school."

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[–] phoenixz 51 points 3 days ago (5 children)

Americans: please stop stepping down. Have some backbone, stay in your place and do the fucking right thing? All you do with stepping down is making it easier to put some trump loyalist in place

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Genuine Question, why step down and not hold the fort and be a massive pain to them?

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[–] SScubaman 49 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I had no idea how fragile the US was until trump retook office. Imagine if the Democrats did something like this? There would be outrage, riots, maybe even people storming the capitol. The police and law would get involved.... But this time not a sole is stopping Elon

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 days ago

Elon needs a sole or 50 to the face.

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[–] [email protected] 65 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Why, why do they keep stepping down IT MAKES IT SO MUCH FUCKING EASIER FOR THEM. This is such bullshit and spineless behavior. They can't protect the American people if they FUCKING RESIGN. Like how does this in any way help us.

[–] [email protected] 56 points 3 days ago (2 children)

It can be that they can't stop something, but their position makes them responsible, so all they can do is step down and refuse to be implicated. Or they are ordered to do a thing and can't refuse to do it, so they step down. Maybe it then turns out no one can do the thing due a few days while the person is replaced.

We never get the nuance of these resignations unless they make their resignation letters public (and even then...). Could even be they have 30 years of service or whatever and would like to step down with some benefits for their families before they get fired and lose everything. Yeah it would be nice if they fought, but I can't begrudge a bureaucrat putting their family first in a losing fight.

So I tend to give them the benefit of doubt. In the end, they aren't doing the easiest thing, which would just be to cooperate.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago

This already has me very worried since I get SSD benefits along with Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP due to a mental health impairment, and someone really needs to step the fuck up and get the DOGE NAZIS the fuck out of there.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Let's please stop pronouncing this piece of shit entity doge as "dozh" (doʒ), it's so ridiculous and we make fools of ourselves by parroting what we're told. We should deliberately "mispronounce" it, say something like dogie or dog-ee, I dunno--I'm sure you all can come up with something better.

Point is, I bet Musk gets a hard-on every time he hears reporters or democrats fall in line and repeat this ridiculous shit the way he likes it. "yes master dozh, dozh, tell me more about dozh master. 🤮 Disgusting. It's humiliating to cater to him like this. Fuck saying "dozh" like you're Musk's little bitch and stop running to serve to his every oligarchical whim like the lowly serfs he thinks of us as.

[–] Pyr_Pressure 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Normally you are not supposed to include the O for of in acronyms.

Technically it's the DGE, just as it's the FBI not the FBOI.

Actually FBOI is kind of funny maybe we can change that rule.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago

"Cheese it, the FBOIs!" 😄

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago

I pronounce it "Nazi". Just saying.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I refuse to pronounce it at all. Fucking cringy. I just call them Elon’s Nerdtroopers.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

I've been calling them Hitler Youth

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Xitler Youth, and the inevitable Xitlergruupen when they are militarized. I would call the fascist nation, "Dogey America". Like 'Vichy', but made suitably stupid enough to accurately represent the Trump Regime.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Is it pronounced dodgey as in seedy? Cause it works especially well then.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Yup.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I've been pronouncing it Douche

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Great. Soon they will have teenagers directing all money into oligarch's pockets while people are homeless, starving and committing crimes against other subjects, all under the rule of a stupid, mob boss dictator.

[–] Sturgist 4 points 2 days ago

I mean... most of that was already happening

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 days ago (3 children)

So, either 90% of our admin is in on the coup and just doing little grand standing actions like "refusing DOGE", or they refused and the Russians found out about their families and sent a strongly worded letter saying it'd be a shame if something happened to their family.

I can see option two being the more likely case, but the cynic in me is saying these people are all in on it and there will be no one but the peasants to fight for their rights.

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 3 days ago (2 children)

All Americans should freeze their credit immediately.

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 3 days ago

I used to play Battlefield 4 back in the day. If you abandoned your vehicle for any reason the enemy could come in and steal it for the enemy team. This means that instead of having 2vs2 tank fights, you might be able to force 3vs1 or even 4vs0 tank fights. There was an unwritten rule that if you are in a vehicle then you die in that vehicle to avoid that from happening. Your vehicle will not respawn if they are actively being used, even by the enemy. Today it feels like all the "pilots" are abandoning their "vehicles" while our "tickets" get drained.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 days ago

DOGE is doing a great job!

The record breaking speed at which they are transferring money from the poor to the oligarchs is unprecedented in American history. Remember everyone to work hard, we have to make sure those poor billionaires get the money the deserve .

~/s~

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Is disagreement the right word here?

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