WASHINGTON, D.C. — Indian American policy veteran Arjun Mody was sworn in this week as Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration, assuming the role of chief operating officer at one of the federal government’s largest and most complex agencies.
Mody was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 18, 2025, and formally sworn in on January 5, 2026. His term will run through January 19, 2031, according to the Social Security Administration. Commissioner Frank Bisignano welcomed Mody to the agency’s senior leadership team following the ceremony.
“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 he was honored to take on the role. “I am grateful to President Donald J. Trump for the opportunity to serve in this role at SSA,” he said. “We will make Social Security great for every American.”
As deputy commissioner, Mody will help oversee the administration of the agency’s core programs and operations, including policy development and financial management systems. The Social Security Administration provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to more than 70 million Americans and manages an annual budget exceeding $1 trillion.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Chairman Michael D. Crapo highlighted Mody’s more than two decades of public-sector experience, saying his background would position him to deliver high-quality service to beneficiaries.
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 that, if confirmed, he intended to carry out that mandate.
Mody told senators that Social Security must strike a careful balance between service delivery and fiscal 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, describing the scope of the agency’s responsibilities as both operational and financial.
“A 50,000-person workforce, over 1,200 field offices, and a $1.5 trillion annual spend — the largest in our government,” he said. “It demands experienced leadership, operational excellence, and pragmatic problem-solving.”
He identified customer service, workforce recruitment and retention, and internal coordination as key priorities, saying the leadership team was focused on improving employee satisfaction while maintaining strong quality controls. “We want — this is going to be a premier organisation,” Mody said.
The hearing also included pointed questioning from Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, who raised concerns about Mody’s lack of direct Social Security policy experience and cited long wait times and service backlogs as signs of what he described as a customer service crisis at the agency.
Before his appointment, Mody served as a senior official on the Trump–Vance transition team and previously led the third-ranking leadership office in the U.S. Senate as staff director of the Senate Republican Conference. His earlier Capitol Hill experience included work 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 senators, Mody reflected on his family’s immigrant story. He recounted how his father arrived in the United States during the Nixon administration with just a few dollars and went on to spend decades serving veterans at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center. “From him, I learned that public service is a noble calling,” Mody said.
The Social Security Administration has faced sustained scrutiny in recent years over staffing shortages, technology modernization, and service delays, challenges that have intensified as the U.S. population continues to age. (Source: IANS)
