Social Security chief resigns amid claims she tried to block investigations into her office
Social Security Inspector General Gail Ennis resigned from her post following allegations that she tried to bar a major investigation into the agency.
Ms Ennis, a Trump appointee, had been in her post since 2019. She announced her resignation in an email to her 500-person staff on Friday, The Washington Post reported. The Social Security Administration is one of the largest agencies in the nation.
Approximately 69 million Americans receive monthly retirement benefits through the office and another 15 million receive disability checks.
Michelle Anderson, the assistant inspector for audits, will take her place until President Joe Biden’s administration can select a replacement.
Congressional members on both sides of the aisle called for Ms Ennis to be replaced following reports of low productivity and morale at the agency. There had also been complaints of retaliation against whistleblowers and criticism for the way she handled an anti-fraud program.
When Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz launched an investigation into the office through the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, Ms Ennis allegedly attempted to obstruct it, he announced in March.
She had failed to cooperate with investigators, withheld documents and told staff not to participate in interviews, the newspaper reported.
The investigation came after The Washington Post reported that an anti-fraud program run by the agency fined disability recipients hundreds of thousands of dollars after they had been accused of disability benefits fraud.
According to the outlet, the practice started before Ms Ennis assumed her role but continued under her leadership. Additionally, he found that the office had levied fines against poor and disabled Social Security recipients without notifying them, thus violating their rights to due process.
But that’s not where the problems stopped.
The office suffered from performance problems in recent years. Dozens of staff members, including senior investigators and auditors quit or retired in frustration due to a lack of leadership and focus.
Ms Ennis had seen a copy of the investigation’s findings before resigning. In her resignation email, Ms Ennis called the inspector general’s office a “vibrant organization” that had become a leader in the watchdog community during her tenure, the newspaper reported.
