WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner is facing calls to resign after he issued an order — which was quickly rescinded — that would have required Maine parents to register their newborns for Social Security numbers at a federal office rather than the hospital.

Newly unearthed emails show that the March 5 decision was made as political payback to Maine’s Governor Janet Mills, who has defied the Trump administration’s push to deny federal funding to the state over transgender athletes.

In the email addressed to the agency’s staff, acting commissioner Leland Dudek, said, “no money will go from the public trust to a petulant child.” Staff members warned that terminating the contracts would result in improper payments and the potential for identity theft.

Dudek’s order initially drew widespread condemnation from medical organizations and public officials, who described it as unnecessary and punitive. The practice of allowing parents to register a newborn for a Social Security number at a hospital or other birthing site, called the Enumeration at Birth program, has been common for decades.

Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree, one of two House members from Maine, said Dudek should resign immediately. She characterized Dudek’s actions as retaliation for Mills publicly opposing President Donald Trump.

“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,” Pingree said.

Mills said Wednesday that Social Security is being subjected to “rushed and reckless cuts” and needs leadership that treats it like a public trust. She said that is especially important in Maine, which has a high number of recipients.

“Social Security is not a scheme, as some have said, it’s a covenant between our government and its people. The Social Security Administration’s leadership must act in a manner that reflects this solemn obligation,” Mills said.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to Dudek on Tuesday, calling for his immediate resignation and a request that he sit for an interview with the committee.

“The American people deserve answers about your activities and communications in the time between President Trump’s February 21, 2025, public threat to Governor Mills and your February 27, 2025, order to cancel the enumeration at birth and electronic death registration contracts with the state of Maine, and about your knowledge that cancelling these contracts would lead to increased waste, fraud, and abuse,” Connolly said in his letter.

Connolly, in a letter on Tuesday, said Democrats on the House oversight committee obtained internal emails from the Social Security Administration that he says shows Dudek cancelled the contracts to retaliate politically against Maine.

A representative from the Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

Dudek on a March 18th call with reporters to preview the agency’s tighter identity-proofing measures, initially said the cancellation of the Maine contract happened “because I screwed up,” adding that he believed that the contract looked strange. “I made the wrong move there. I should always ask my staff for guidance first, before I cancel something. I’m new at this job.”

He added, “Well, I was upset at the governor’s treatment, and I indicated in email as such, but the actual fact of the matter was it looked like a strange contract.”

“I’m not interested in political retaliation. I’m interested in serving the public.”

Maine has been the subject of federal investigations since Gov. Mills sparked the ire of Trump at a meeting of governors at the White House in February. During the meeting, Trump threatened to pull federal funding from Maine if the state does not comply with his executive order barring transgender athletes from sports.

Mills responded: “We’ll see you in court.”

The Trump administration then opened investigations into whether Maine violated the Title IX antidiscrimination law by allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports. The Education Department issued a final warning on Monday that the state could face Justice Department enforcement soon if it doesn’t come into compliance soon.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins also said Wednesday that the department is pausing federal funds for some Maine educational programs because of Title IX noncompliance.

___

Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine.

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Background:
Emerald Ash Borer poses a uniquely devastating threat to Maine’s ecology, economy, and cultural history. Three native species of ash, all of which are key ecological and economic keystones, are being destroyed by the invasive pest which has been introduced in North American temperate forests. Climate change has aided the insect’s broadening range, while also adding to other stresses these trees and our forests face. International governments have been observing, studying, and responding to the EAB crisis for over a decade. As the borer advances east from Michigan, we have learned from federal, state, and tribal officials and experts what to expect, how we can prepare, and actions we can take to make our forests and communities more resilient. Through this partnership, this project will help develop a response to the EAB crisis as it unfolds across Maine, and will also contribute to the broader continental response by indigenous and settler governments and communities.

The Franxinus or Ash genus is unique in several ways. It is among the most abundant trees in Maine forests. Two species, F. pennsylvanica and F. americana, are also prolific street and landscape trees in developed areas. The third species, F. nigra, is a species central to the origins and culture of indigenous nations, communities, and people that continue to thrive and use Brown Ash for medicine, ceremony, artwork, and forest products throughout the entire region affected by EAB. These three attributes of Ash convey the magnitude of what is at stake when an entire genus of trees is potentially wiped from diverse landscapes which depend on it.

Announcing our Spring 2025 Webinar Series: Preparing for EAB

Since the earliest documented occurrences of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Maine in 2013, Maine Audubon has been working with federal, state, and municipal forestry staff, as well as with indigenous scholars, cultural knowledge sharers, and basketmakers to better understand and plan our response to the ecological, cultural, and economic threats this invasive insect poses for the three species of Ash (Fraxinus spp.) native to Maine.

During May and June, Maine Audubon and partners will host a four-part series of evening webinars, each of which will focus on a specific aspect of the looming EAB crisis. Leaders from government, research, and cultural organizations will educate and inspire us about ash trees and what can be done to conserve them. The webinars will take place at 6 pm every other Thursday evening starting on May 8 and run through June 19.

Register for these free webinars:

May 8: Allison Kanoti, MFS – Impacts and response in Maine
Maine Forest Service entomologist Allison Kanoti will introduce us to the importance of Fraxinus (all three species) to forests, developed landscapes, and the economy. Allison will also cover the history of EAB presence and impacts in Maine to date, the state response, and how we all can get involved to help.  Register >

May 22: Tony D’Amato, University of Vermont—Benefits and ecosystem services of Ash
Tony D’Amato is a regionally esteemed forest ecologist who will share the natural history of Fraxinus and present for us the innumerable benefits of having Ash in our forests and in our neighborhoods. Register >

June 5: APCAW panel—Cultural importance of Ash, multicultural response to EAB
Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik presents a panel of basketmakers, scholars, foresters, and researchers to share and discuss the importance and benefits of a blended, multicultural approach to protecting our ash, as well as how people can get involved to support this work. Register >

June 19: Theresa Secord—Honoring basketmakers, MIBA, and our shared cultural heritage
Founder of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (MIBA) and recent recipient of a $100,000 award from the Ruth Foundation for the Arts, Penobscot basketmaker Theresa Secord will offer a culminating presentation on the cultural and community implications of conserving Brown Ash. Theresa will share her craft and connections related to the tree at the center of Wabanaki origins. Register >

Thanks to a new grant from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, Maine Audubon is partnering with our friends at Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik, a group of Indigenous and non-indigenous researchers, Tribal members, and forest caretakers, to develop new educational programming, community science, school curricula, and publications which will help leaders, land managers, and the general public understand, honor, and conserve our beloved and critically important Ash trees in forests and communities throughout Maine and beyond.

Look for more news on our website and at Maine Audubon centers and sanctuaries starting this summer.