Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), renewed calls for the Social Security Administration Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek to resign today, releasing the following statement in light of new reporting from The Washington Post: 

"Since Governor Mills courageously stood against the President’s egregious overreach with her now-iconic 'See you in court' declaration, the Trump Administration has unleashed an unprecedented barrage of bureaucratic terror against our state. Acting Social Security Commissioner Dudek's own internal emails reveal not merely incompetence but calculated malice—a federal official explicitly ordering the sabotage of essential services to punish a state for daring to uphold its own democratically enacted laws. 

When warned by his own leadership team that terminating Maine's data contracts would increase fraud nationwide, Dudek's chilling response laid bare the constitutional perversion at work. He explicitly acknowledged that ‘improper payments will go up,’ yet proceeded anyway, declaring that punishing our governor—who he contemptuously dismissed as a ‘petulant child’—took precedence over his sworn duty to protect the integrity of America's critical social safety net for millions of vulnerable citizens.

If a federal agency can be turned into a political hit squad at the whim of an acting appointee, what checks remain on executive power? Commissioner Dudek’s vindictive actions against Maine represent a fundamental betrayal of public trust that disqualifies him from public service. He should not only resign or be removed from office; he should be investigated for his flagrant abuse of power. 

The Constitution demands better. Maine citizens deserve better. And Acting Commissioner Dudek must go—immediately and disgracefully."

Pingree first demanded Dudek’s resignation on March 19, 2025.