GAIL ENNIS FAILS SOCIAL SECURITY
GAIL ENNIS MISUSED HER AUTHORITY AS AN EXECUTIVE OF THE DEPT OF SOCIAL SECURITY
BY SNN.BZ STAFF
In her resignation letter, Gail Ennis described the agency she had run for five years as “vibrant” and thanked her colleagues—despite years-long calls for her resignation and accusations of retaliation. Ennis resigned from her role as the administration’s Office of Inspector General after facing allegations that she tried to bar a major investigation into the agency and retaliated against whistleblowers.
Key Points:
- Background: Ennis was nominated by former President Donald Trump to run the post in 2018 and took office a year later. She oversaw the administration responsible for the monthly checks received by 69 million retired Americans and another 15 million who receive disability payments.
- Improper Fines: Upon taking office, Ennis inherited a program that had begun just one year earlier. The office was levying massive fines, sometimes into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, against dozens of Americans who received (and kept) improper Social Security benefit payments. These improper fines affected slightly more than 100 Americans and were levied without proper procedures being followed, violating office regulations.
- Whistleblower Retaliation: An administrative law judge found that Ennis’ office retaliated against an employee named Debbie Shaw for making “protected disclosures,” qualifying her as a whistleblower.
- Resignation: Ennis’ tumultuous tenure included falling employee morale, obstructing investigations, and accusations of improperly levying fines against poor and disabled Americans. Her resignation was effective on June 29, 2024.
Gail Ennis’ resignation sheds light on the challenges faced during her tenure as the Social Security Inspector General.
