Social Security commissioner admits anger at Maine governor over Trump clash was behind change to newborn policy

In an extraordinary admission, Social Security Administration acting Commissioner Lee Dudek told the New York Times that his decision to require parents of newborns in Maine to apply in person for a Social Security number in an office rather than by simply filling out a form at the hospital came about because he "was ticked" at the state's governor, Janet Mills.

“I was ticked at the governor of Maine for not being real cordial to the president,” Dudek told the paper in reference to a testy White House exchange between Mills and President Trump over his executive order banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports. “I screwed up. I’ll admit I screwed up.”

On March 5, Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services sent out an email notifying hospitals and birth centers that “effective immediately, the option for parents to participate in the enumeration at birth process will be suspended,” the Portland Press Herald reported, adding that the agency was following guidance given to it by the Social Security Administration.

The suspension of the program in Maine drew swift rebukes from health care providers in the state.

“It makes absolutely no sense to me at all to do this,” Dr. Joe Anderson, advocacy chair of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the Press Herald. “I see no logical explanation for forcing parents and newborns — with 11,000 babies born in Maine every year — to sit in a crowded waiting room, when we have done this easily, securely and efficiently for decades.”

On March 7, Dudek reversed his decision to suspend the decades-old policy that is in place in all 50 states, calling it a mistake.

“I recently directed Social Security employees to end two contracts which affected the good people of the state of Maine. The two contracts are Enumeration at Birth (EAB), which helps new parents quickly request a Social Security number and card for their newborn before leaving the hospital, and Electronic Death Registry (EDR) which shares recorded deaths with Social Security,” Dudek said in the statement posted to the Social Security website. “In retrospect, I realize that ending these contracts created an undue burden on the people of Maine, which was not the intent. For that, I apologize and have directed that both contracts be immediately reinstated. EAB and EDR continue in place for every state and were not affected. As a leader, I will admit my mistakes and make them right.”

On Saturday, Trump demanded that Mills offer him a "full-throated apology" for challenging the legality of his executive order on trans athletes.

"While the State of Maine has apologized for their Governor's strong, but totally incorrect, statement about men playing in women's sports while at the White House House Governor's Conference, we have not heard from the Governor herself, and she is the one that matters in such cases," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Saturday morning.

Mills responded to Trump's demand on Monday at an event in Bangor.

"If the current occupant of the White House wants to protect women and girls, he should start by protecting the women and teenage girls who are suffering miscarriages and dying because they can't get basic, lifesaving health care in states across this country," Mills said. "If he truly cares about women and girls and people of this country, let's see the economic plan. Let's see the health care plan. Let's see the education plan."

For now, the enumeration at birth procedure remains in place in Maine. On its website, the Social Security Administration describes the process as one of convenience.

“The Enumeration at Birth (EAB) program eliminates the need for a parent to gather the necessary documents, complete an Application for a Social Security Card (SS-5), and take or mail original documents to a local Social Security office for processing,” SSA states.

Citing his missteps as commissioner and Trump's current pick to head the SSA, Dudek told the Times that he did not expect his tenure at Social Security to last very long.

“I can’t imagine the nominee would want to keep me after the way I’ve been doing things here,” Dudek said.