Social Security stronger under Trump, critics pushing ‘false’ narrative, commissioner says

close

Video

'PROTECT AND PRESERVE': Commissioner reveals how social security will 'improve'

 Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano provides an update on the agency's work on 'The Claman Countdown.'

President Donald Trump's pick to head the nation's Social Security apparatus, Commissioner Frank Bisignano, told Fox News Digital that criticisms of the Trump administration's approach to Social Security are politically motivated and misleading.

Democrats have expressed a wide range of concerns about Social Security under the current administration, including claims the Trump administration is making it more difficult for seniors and people with disabilities to access their benefits. The Trump administration's critics have also expressed concern that the president is seeking to privatize the program and is exaggerating fraud concerns to justify sweeping reforms. Democrats in Congress have gone as far as launching a "Social Security War Room" to coordinate their efforts to fight back.

"I don't know what they're having a war about," Bisignano said. "I personally think they're really scared that it's going to be great, and that ruins their silly little narrative."

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP TOUTS 'ZERO TAX' BENEFITS FOR MAJORITY OF SENIORS ON SOCIAL SECURITY’S 90TH ANNIVERSARY

President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation in the Oval Office honoring the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act as Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano looks on, on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Bisignano took head-on the accusation that forced staffing cuts at the Social Security Administration will significantly impact beneficiaries and program efficiency. He argued not only that the reports of staff cuts were misleading, but also that the idea of program efficiency being correlated to the ratio of beneficiaries to staff members is a false narrative being pushed by the media and Trump's critics.   

"Somebody would say, 'In 1960 we had one employee for every 480 beneficiaries, and today it's one for every 1,500. They can't have enough staff.' Well, we weren't doing 1.5 million transactions on the web then. We didn't have phone technology then, and, by the way, we delivered everybody a check, and now less than 1% of people are getting checks. So it's a completely different world."

Thursday marks the 90th anniversary of Social Security, and over the decades the program has shifted from being one that primarily processed and delivered checks to beneficiaries, but now, as Bisignano points out, the nation's social security program does a lot more than just that. As a result, social security efficiency is about more than just manpower, Bisignano points out.

TOP DEM DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM SOCIAL SECURITY, CLAIMING WAIT TIMES SPIKED DURING DOGE CUTS 

"What people don't ever say is we are the largest input to retirement planning for America," Bisignano said.  "We are making it better every hour by enabling people to operate on the web, on the phones, through technology." 

Starting this summer, Americans with a "My Social Security" account will be able to access their digital Social Security number (SSN) online, the Social Security Administration has indicated. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

The commissioner pointed to a variety of operating statistics, which he said challenge the narrative from the left that Trump is crippling social security and hurting beneficiaries. 

Single-digit wait times for beneficiaries seeking assistance from the administration was one major statistic Bisignano touted, saying that it was as high as nearly 30-minutes just a year ago. Meanwhile, the program is serving roughly twice as many customers per day in the current fiscal year than it did in the previous one. Part of the success has been due to the administration's embrace of artificial intelligence tools and a move towards better tech.

"Less people come into our field offices because we're delivering better phone service and better service on the web than we ever had before," the commissioner said, pointing out the Social Security Administration has begun conducting about 300,000 more online transactions a day than previously.   

Bisignano also touted the program's move in eliminating 29 hours a week of scheduled website maintenance for the program's online portal that would force the site to shut down, and highlighted the backlog of disability claims that have been cleared under the new administration. 

PRESIDENT TRUMP MARKS 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOCIAL SECURITY

According to the commissioner, outstanding disability claims have been reduced from around 1.2 million to around 930,00. 

"That doesn't happen by doing a sh---y job," the commissioner insisted, adding that "it would be the biggest rout in the history of mankind" if he were to compare operating statistics from his first 100 days, which he called "the best ever produced in the agency," to the statistics from former President Joe Biden's first 100 days. 

The Trump administration is touting its improvements to Social Security on the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act of 1935, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  (Getty Images)

"You got a president that's made a commitment to protect and preserve, and a commissioner fixing the foundation of [social security] that was destroyed over the past four years by sending people home, by taking out workforce management tools, and now you have a commissioner getting it back on track," Bisignano said. "And by the way, the Social Security Administration, for the three years before May … has hit the lowest morale rating of any agency in government. That will change right now." 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Bisignano suggested that the reason for all the criticism aimed at the administration's approach to Social Security, was strategically being pushed because it is a program that every American cares about. 

"When people don't really have anything to offer, they like to offer that Social Security is going to not work, because they know every American cares about Social Security," the commissioner surmised.