Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Frank J. Bisignano will also now simultaneously serve in the newly created role of Chief Executive Officer of the Internal Revenue Service, the Treasury Department announced today.
Secretary of the Treasury and IRS Acting Commissioner Scott Bessent made the highly atypical announcement, saying Bisignano will report directly to him, managing the organization and overseeing all day-to-day IRS operations while also continuing to serve in his role as Social Security Administration Commissioner.
It is unclear whether Bisignano assuming the newly created role at the IRS will require Senate confirmation.
“Frank is a businessman with an exceptional track record of driving growth and efficiency in the private and now public sector,” Bessent said, adding that the IRS and SSA—two of the most public-facing and broadly impactful federal agencies—also share many of the same technological and customer service goals. That, Bessent said, makes Bisignano a natural choice for this role.
“…we are pleased that he will bring this expertise to the IRS as we sharpen our focus on collections, privacy, and customer service in order to deliver better outcomes for hardworking Americans.”
Scott Bessent
“Under his leadership at the SSA, he has already made important and substantial progress, and we are pleased that he will bring this expertise to the IRS as we sharpen our focus on collections, privacy, and customer service in order to deliver better outcomes for hardworking Americans,” Bessent said.
The appointment comes after several recent leadership changes at the IRS, with its most recent commissioner, former auctioneer and Republican Missouri congressman Billy Long, stepping down in August after less than two months on the job, leading President Trump to name Bessent Acting Commissioner. Unlike previous IRS leaders, Long lacked a background in either accounting or tax law. President Trump subsequently named Long the U.S. Ambassador to Iceland.
Today’s press release said Bisignano, the 18th Senate-confirmed SSA Commissioner who was confirmed in May in a party line Senate vote, is a proven leader with more than four decades of experience guiding some of the world’s largest financial institutions and technology companies through transformation and growth. Prior to leading SSA, Bisignano served as Chairman and CEO of Fiserv, the world’s largest financial services and payment technology company.
In 2019, he led the merger of Fiserv and First Data while he was serving as CEO of the latter company. While at J.P. Morgan Chase in the 2000s, Bisignano was the co-Chief Operating Officer and served as the CEO of its Mortgage Banking unit. He also previously held several roles at Citigroup, including Chief Administrative Officer and CEO of the company’s Global Transaction Services unit.
Bisignano joins a number of other Trump administration officials to wear multiple hats, including Bessent, Marco Rubio (currently serving as secretary of state, acting national security adviser and acting archivist of the United States), Sean Duffy (secretary of transportation and acting administrator of NASA), Jamieson Greer (U.S. Trade Representative, Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, and Acting Special Counsel of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel), and Russell Vought (Director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).
Monday’s announcement did not sit well with a pair of high-profile Social Security and Medicare advocacy groups.
“The Trump administration has made an unprecedented—and unwise—move by appointing Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano to serve simultaneously as CEO of the IRS,” said a statement today from Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. “The Trump regime has made many reckless changes at the Social Security Administration—including the slashing of staff and erecting new barriers for Americans simply attempting to access their earned benefits. The agency is in chaos and customer service has suffered. Naming Bisignano CEO of another crucial federal agency while he serves as SSA commissioner demonstrates the Trump administration’s indifference toward the 70 million Americans who depend on Social Security.”
Richtman pointed out that never before has a Social Security Commissioner been asked to split his attention between two agencies. “We have criticized many of Bisignano’s decisions as SSA commissioner, but this agency is too important to have a part-time leader. Seniors, people with disabilities, and their families deserve a full-time Social Security Commissioner. Full stop,” Richtman said.
“Frank Bisignano is so underqualified for the job of Social Security commissioner that his first move was to google ‘Social Security’. Bisignano’s decision to take on a second job running the IRS highlights that he has learned nothing. It also puts the lie to Donald Trump’s claim that he won’t hurt Social Security,” read a statement from Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works regarding today’s news.
“Never in Social Security’s 90-year history has a commissioner held a second job. Bisignano’s new role will leave a leadership vacuum at the top of the agency, especially since the Republican Senate hasn’t even confirmed a deputy commissioner,” Altman continued. “By denying the system a full-time commissioner, the Trump administration is allowing Social Security to rot through sabotage and neglect.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated to include reaction to today’s surprise announcement from Social Security advocacy groups.
SEE ALSO:
• Government Shutdown Could Sidetrack 2026 Social Security COLA Announcement
• Senate Confirms Bisignano to Lead Social Security in Party Line Vote