Washington: Indian American Arjun Mody was sworn in on Monday as Deputy Commissioner of the US Social Security Administration (SSA), taking on the role of chief operating officer at an agency that delivers benefits to tens of millions of Americans and manages one of the largest budgets in the federal government.
Mody was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 2025, and sworn in on January 5, 2026, SSA said on Tuesday. His term runs through January 19, 2031. SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano formally welcomed him to the agency’s leadership team.
“Under President Donald J. Trump, the Social Security Administration is transforming into a premier service organisation to serve more Americans at faster speeds than ever before,” Bisignano said. “I am grateful to have Arjun Mody at the Social Security Administration, and I expect his passion for public service and wealth of experience will elevate the agency’s work.”
Mody thanked the President for the appointment, saying, “I am grateful to President Donald J. Trump for the opportunity to serve in this role at SSA. We will make Social Security great for every American.”
As deputy commissioner, Mody assists in administering SSA’s core programmes and operations, including directing agency policy development and overseeing financial management systems. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Chairman Michael D. Crapo cited Mody’s “over 20 years of experience in the public sector” and said his background would help him “deliver the high-quality service that beneficiaries deserve.”
In his opening statement to the committee, Mody said President Trump had been “strong and straightforward about Social Security — preserve and protect the promise for every eligible American.” He added, “If confirmed, I will carry that charge.”
Mody told senators that Social Security must balance service and control. “From the moment a child receives a Social Security card to the moment a family receives a death benefit, Americans will have an agency that works for them,” he said. He described the agency’s responsibilities as both operational and financial, calling it “an immense operational and financial challenge.”
“A 50,000-person workforce, over 1,200 field offices, and a $1.5 trillion annual spend — the largest in our government,” Mody said. “It demands experienced leadership, operational excellence, and pragmatic problem-solving.”
During questioning, Mody identified customer service, workforce recruitment and retention, and internal coordination as priorities. He said the leadership team was focused on “premier customer service and pristine quality control” and on improving employee satisfaction. “We want — this is going to be a premier organisation,” he said.
The hearing also featured sharp partisan exchanges. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden raised concerns about Mody’s lack of direct Social Security policy experience and questioned whether he was prepared to lead the agency during periods when the commissioner might be occupied with other responsibilities. Wyden cited long wait times and service backlogs as evidence of what he called a “customer service crisis.”
Before his nomination, Mody served as a senior official on the Trump–Vance transition team and previously led the third-ranking leadership office in the US Senate as staff director of the Senate Republican Conference. He also worked on Capitol Hill for Senators Elizabeth Dole, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and John Barrasso.
Mody began his career as a Presidential Management Fellow at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and later worked as a principal at S-3 Group, advising Fortune 100 companies on legislative strategy, regulatory engagement, and public affairs. He is a graduate of La Salle University, Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, and American University’s Washington College of Law.
In emotional remarks to the committee, Mody spoke about his father’s journey as an immigrant. “My father immigrated to the United States during the Nixon administration. He arrived at JFK Airport with $8 in his pocket,” Mody said, recounting years of work and study before his father spent decades serving veterans at a VA medical centre. “From him, I learned that public service is a noble calling.”
Social Security is one of the most consequential federal programmes, providing retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to more than 70 million Americans. The agency has faced sustained scrutiny in recent years over staffing shortages, technology modernisation, and service delays, particularly as the US population ages.
(IANS)
