Social Security chief says he will ‘continue to make mistakes’ but vows to ‘learn from them’

Leland Dudek, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration, outlined his vision for the agency in a lengthy memo to staff on Tuesday, detailing exploratory efforts to implement artificial intelligence and boost anti-fraud efforts as President Donald Trump and his right-hand adviser Elon Musk have zeroed in on claims of widespread improper payments at the bureau.

Before ascending to this position, Dudek previously worked at the agency’s anti-fraud office. The bureau opened an investigation into him after he was suspected of improperly sharing information with Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service; the Trump administration then placed him in charge of the agency.

In the Tuesday memo, which was shared with NBC News by a person who obtained it, Dudek apologized for having made mistakes, said he will continue to make more and pledged to learn from them.

“Over the past month, this agency has seen an unprecedented level of media coverage, some of it true and deserved, while some has not been factual and painted the agency in a very negative light,” Dudek wrote. “I know this has been stressful for you and has caused disruption in your life. Personally, I have made some mistakes, which makes me human like you. I promise you this, I will continue to make mistakes, but I will learn from them. My decisions will always be with the best intentions for this agency, the people we serve, and you.”

Dudek praised employees as “outstanding,” saying the agency “hasn’t missed a beat” amid the heightened attention. He then laid out where he believes the agency has “made meaningful progress” in recent weeks.

He highlighted three specific points: Working to “prevent improper payments,” improving telephone services and processing submissions from employees who chose the voluntary separation program that the Trump administration promoted.

Dudek said 2,700 Social Security employees signed up for that program; 2,000 were deemed eligible, while more than 1,400 have signed their voluntary separation agreements.

On the other items, Dudek pointed to “expanded data-sharing agreements” with outside agencies as “a key step toward reducing fraud and waste. On telephone services, Dudek noted that the agency is “exploring ways to implement AI — in a safe, governed manner in accordance with” guidance from the Office of Management and Budget “to streamline and improve call resolution.”

The acting commissioner then outlined what he sees as the action plan for the agency over the next three months. Those items included a further zeroing-in on “fraud and waste,” as well as “optimizing and empowering” its workforce. On the latter, Dudek said the agency is “now in a good position to avoid reliance on involuntary reductions in our workforce for this fiscal year.”

Late last month, SSA said it plans to reduce its 57,000 workforce by 7,000 people.

Dudek said the Trump administration’s “focus on detecting and eliminating fraud, waste and abuse is in line with our mission to pay the right person the right amount at the right time.”

Additionally, Dudek said he “directed our leadership team to present real-time data online so that the public can see how we are doing.”

“I am increasing our anti-fraud efforts and leading with establishing state-of-the-art methods for identity proofing, which enables the public to securely interact with us online or over the phone,” he continued.

The Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.