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House Members Seek Clarity on Who Accesses Social Security Records; Commissioner Defends Protections
Summary
Committee members from both parties raised concerns about contractor and contractor‑team access to Social Security beneficiary data; Commissioner Frank Buscagnano said personally he is “very comfortable” with the safeguards but acknowledged past instances of deceased people remaining active in files as data-integrity problems.
Members of the House Ways and Means Committee pressed Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Buscagnano on whether contractors and outside teams have improper access to beneficiary personally identifiable information (PII) and what safeguards exist to prevent misuse.
The concern surfaced repeatedly as lawmakers referenced reporting and public claims that contract staffers — repeatedly referred to in the hearing as "Doge" staffers or outside teams — had inappropriate access to sensitive records. Ranking members and several Democrats described constituents’ alarm after reports that unvetted or inexperienced contractor personnel could view beneficiary files. "Our concerns remain deep and abiding," Rep. John Larson said in his opening statement.
Buscagnano repeatedly told the committee that SSA has "very strong protocols on access" and that he has “overviewed it” given his career protecting PII. Asked directly, he said, "Our data is safe." When members raised examples such as records showing people who had died still active on SSA files, Buscagnano acknowledged that such instances are a data-integrity problem: "What I do know is that, we had, people who had passed away still active on our file. And I think that represents the opportunity for problem and error."
Lawmakers also asked how many contractor or outside-team staff are currently working inside SSA. The commissioner said he treats such contractors as part of the workforce for operational purposes, said SSA has about 7,000 contractors performing work that does not make them SSA employees, and estimated "about 3 or 4" staffers when asked specifically about a particular outside team. He told the panel that those individuals did not have access to sensitive information he considered retrievable by them: "No, sir," he answered when asked if they could retrieve sensitive data.
Members asked the commissioner to provide further documentation and to cooperate with committee requests for staffing and performance data. Several members said they would continue oversight to ensure PII is protected and that any contractor access is strictly controlled.
Ending: The committee recorded commitments from the commissioner to continue working with oversight offices and to provide further information, but members left seeking additional documentation and clarity on which contractors have what access and how SSA detects and corrects data errors.
