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Social Security chief Frank Bisignano also named CEO of the IRS

By
Aimee Picchi
Associate Managing Editor, MoneyWatch
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
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Aimee Picchi

/ CBS News

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday tapped Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano to take on a second role as CEO of the IRS, a newly created position at the tax agency. 

The Treasury Department in a statement that Bisignano will be responsible for overseeing all daily operations operations at the IRS, while also continuing to serve in his role heading the federal agency that administers Social Security.

Bessent said in the statement that the IRS and SSA "share many of the same technological and customer service goals. This makes Mr. Bisignano a natural choice for this role."

The appointment comes after several recent leadership changes at the IRS, with its most recent commissioner, former auctioneer and congressman Billy Long, stepping down in August after only two months on the job. Unlike previous IRS leaders, Long lacked a background in either accounting or tax law. 

Bisignano is a former Wall Street executive and CEO of Fiserv, a payments and financial services firm. In his role as IRS CEO, he'll report to Bessent, who will continue to serve as acting commissioner of the IRS, according to the Treasury Department. 

Bisignano's appointment to a second high-profile federal job raises concerns about his ability to oversee two major government agencies, according to Social Security advocates, who say that the SSA now faces multiple challenges as a result of the Trump administration cutting thousands of jobs at the agency earlier this year. 

"Never in Social Security's 90-year history has a commissioner held a second job," said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, in an email. "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."

Added Max Richtman, CEO of another advocacy group, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare: "Seniors, people with disabilities and their families deserve a full-time Social Security Commissioner. Full stop." 

In an email to CBS News, the Social Security Administration said Bisignano will "lead the day-to-day operations at IRS," and that his appointment to the role "speaks to the incredible customer service turnaround that is happening at SSA."

The agency added, "In just five months since his confirmation, SSA is serving more customers efficiently and accurately due to technology and process management improvements. In his new role, Commissioner Bisignano will still lead SSA, along with the incredibly talented executive leadership team he has assembled since his Senate confirmation."

In the statement, Bessent said that Bisignano "has already made important and substantial progress [at the SSA], 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."

Edited by Alain Sherter

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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