Arjun Mody Takes Charge As Deputy Commissioner Of Social Security 

WASHINGTON, DC – Arjun Mody was sworn in on January 5 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 US Senate on December 18, 2025. His term runs through January 19, 2031.

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 will assist in administering SSA’s core programs and operations, including directing agency policy development and overseeing financial management systems. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Mody said President Trump had been “strong and straightforward about Social Security which is to 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 organization,” 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 center. “From him, I learned that public service is a noble calling.” (IANS)