Dive Brief:
- The chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, Republican Sen. Mike Crapo, urged his colleagues Thursday to approve Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano’s nomination to become the next commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
- “I am confident that Mr. Bisignano has the experience needed to lead this important agency," Crapo said during a Senate floor speech. "He has more than 30 years of executive leadership experience in banks and financial institutions."
- The full Senate will vote on Tuesday to decide if Bisignano will take the post. The Finance Committee approved his nomination on April 2.
Dive Insight:
The Fiserv CEO faced criticism from Democrats in a March confirmation hearing over alleged ties to billionaire Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO who is leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial agency tasked with cutting government spending.
Bisignano was cited in a March 24 whistleblower statement for allegedly intervening to onboard a DOGE employee who was then reportedly given access to Americans' personal information.
Crapo dismissed any concerns over the whistleblower's allegations during his Senate floor speech and in a Thursday news release, calling the report "an anonymous letter."
"Mr. Bisignano addressed these allegations during the hearing and responded in writing as part of the questions for the record," Crapo said in his speech. "He has stated clearly that he does not currently have a role at the Social Security Administration and was not part of the decision-making process led by the Acting Commissioner, Lee Dudek, about Social Security operations, personnel or management."
Democrats on the finance committee also questioned Bisignano about possible cuts to Social Security — which Musk referred to as a "Ponzi scheme" on Joe Rogan's podcast — and asked if he opposed privatizing the social safety net program.
Bisignano avoided directly answering those questions, but gave assurances that he would preserve social security benefits, which go to about 73 million Americans who are 62 or older.
President Donald Trump nominated Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration in December. Bisignano became Milwaukee-based Fiserv's CEO in 2020.
