The Social Security Administration’s chief data officer has resigned days after filing a whistleblower complaint warning that President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency put the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans at risk.
Charles Borges said in his resignation letter Friday that he was leaving his position “involuntarily,” doing so in part because of concerns that the agency’s data is being handled improperly and his efforts to correct the problems were rebuffed.
“Due to my concerns regarding SSA's questionable and potentially unlawful data management practices, and the inability to exercise my statutory duties as CDO, I believe my position is untenable and that this constitutes an intolerable working environment for a Chief Executive tasked with specific responsibilities and accountability,” Borges wrote in his letter, addressed to Social Security Administrator Frank Bisignano.
In his whistleblower complaint, Borges said DOGE employees built a copy of the Social Security database in a cloud-based system that "circumvents oversight,” and disregarded an agency security assessment that their action posed a high risk.
His resignation and complaint spotlight lingering concerns about DOGE access to Social Security data — a highly sensitive collection of personal information that could lead to identity theft if hacked or leaked.
A Social Security Administration spokesperson declined to comment.
In June, a federal judge blocked DOGE access to Social Security data in March, but the Supreme Court overruled the decision.
Borges said he became aware of “several projects and incidents which may constitute violations of federal statutes or regulations,” and that leadership at the agency “created a culture of panic and dread” around discussing changes at the agency.
“As a result of these events, I am put the intolerable situation of not having visibility or oversight into activities that potentially violate statues and regulations which I, as the CDO, may legally or otherwise be held accountable for should I continue in this position,” he said. “I cannot verify that agency data is being used in accordance with legal agreements or in compliance with federal requirements.”
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