There had been growing bipartisan pressure in Congress for President Biden to fire her following reports of declining productivity and morale, retaliation against whistleblowers and backlash over her handling of anti-fraud programs run by her office, which oversees the agency that provides retirement benefits to 69 million Americans and monthly disability benefits to about 15 million others.
A spokesman for Ennis said the White House was not involved in his decision to step down, effective June 29. Michelle Anderson, deputy inspector general and one of Ennis’ most senior aides, will serve as acting inspector general until the White House names a successor.
Ennis said in his resignation email: The Inspector General’s Office is a “vibrant organization” and a leader During her tenure, she was active in the watchdog community.
Ennis’ resignation comes as she faces a second damning finding from a panel of federal watchdogs known as the Council of Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), which continues its wide-ranging investigation into her office. The investigation began after a 2022 Washington Post report revealed that an anti-fraud program run by her office had imposed incremental fines amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars on disabled and elderly people suspected of disability benefit fraud. The practice began before Ennis took office but continued during her tenure.
In March, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who is conducting a broader investigation of CIGIE, found that Ennis’ office violated due process rights by failing to properly notify some poor and disabled Americans before imposing fines.
Horowitz then reported his new findings to CIGIE, stating that Ennis had not cooperated with investigators, concealed documents, and made false statements to some Ennis has instructed his staff not to give interviews, according to two people familiar with the new draft report, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential matters. Ennis received a draft of the report in May, the people said. It has not yet been made public, and it is unclear whether Ennis has responded to CIGIE. A spokesman for Ennis did not directly respond to the draft report’s findings but said: Her resignation was not triggered by the draft report.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., told Biden in February he had lost confidence in Ennis, citing a number of performance issues. In a new statement on Friday, the chairman praised Ennis for resigning.
“Under her leadership, the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General has been in turmoil, plagued by complaints of a hostile work environment, retaliation against whistleblowers, rock-bottom ratings for employee morale and declining productivity,” he said.
Mr. Ennis has had growing performance problems in recent years: The number of audits completed has fallen and dozens of senior auditors, investigators and other staffers have resigned or quit, many of them frustrated and telling The Washington Post and congressional investigators they viewed as erratic leadership and a lack of focus on the office’s mission.
Several officers resigned or quit after Ennis told employees he was monitoring their computers during the COVID-19 pandemic to make sure employees, many of whom work remotely, were working. Ennis disciplined several officers for poor performance, a charge denied by officers and their union, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, which passed a “no confidence” vote in Ennis’ leadership in 2021.
Employee morale has hit a new low in annual surveys of federal employees, with the inspector general’s office ranking it 430th out of 459 smaller agencies within larger federal departments in 2023. A spokesman for Mr. Ennis said in 2022 that the decline was due to “normal turnover.” At the time, Mr. Ennis defended his efforts to boost employee morale.
The fraud prevention program is still under investigation. by the Social Security Administration, Wyden’s office and the Office of Special Counsel.
