Scott Coulter
Scott Coulter started his work for DOGE as a wrecker based in Social Security and detailed to NASA, but when Mike Russo was abruptly demoted as the CIO for Social Security, Scott stepped up into the role. Recently, however, the New York Times reported that Aram Mohgaddassi and Mike Russo were acting informally as co-CIOs within Social Security, leading to questions if Scott Coulter is still there or if he’s just occupying a figurehead role.
Positions
Appointed:
2/XX/25 $120,579 «Missing details»
Appointed:
2/XX/25 $120,579 «Missing details»
| Source: | Data Reveals Details About DOGE, Government Hiring in 2025 Bloomberg, 1/09/26 |
Detailed To:
Appointed:
3/24/25-c.6/05/25 [as SSA-02] Chief Information Officer «Was listed as CIO on May 30, but Aram took over in June. WSJ reports on removal of SSA employee back to NASA in June. Aram/Russo listed as co-CIOs on 6/6»
Detailed To:
Appointed:
3/24/25-c.6/05/25 [as SSA-02] Chief Information Officer «Was listed as CIO on May 30, but Aram took over in June. WSJ reports on removal of SSA employee back to NASA in June. Aram/Russo listed as co-CIOs on 6/6»
| Source: | Onboarding documents at SSA for "Employee 2" Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
| Source: | Detail from NASA to SSA for "Employee 2" Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
| Source: | Onboarding documents at SSA for "Employee 2" Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
| Source: | The Fight Between Musk Acolytes and the White House for Control of DOGE The Wall Street Journal, 6/08/25 |
Events
1/30/25
Interagency Coordination:
Leland Dudek reaches out to Tiffany Flick, the Associate Director of Budget, Facilities and Security to inform her that Mike Russo and Scott Coulter would be onboarding for DOGE. He was a mid-level employee at the time who would not normally be coordinating inter-agency details like this.
Interagency Coordination:
Leland Dudek reaches out to Tiffany Flick, the Associate Director of Budget, Facilities and Security to inform her that Mike Russo and Scott Coulter would be onboarding for DOGE. He was a mid-level employee at the time who would not normally be coordinating inter-agency details like this.
| Person: | Leland Dudek, Mike Russo, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO v. SSA, doc 22-10 Court Document, 3/07/25 |
| Agency: | DOGE, SSA |
2/06/25
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Brian Bjelde, Emily Bryant, Jim Hickey, Katrine Trampe, Michael Cole, Michael Grimes, Michael Mirski, Riley Sennott, Scott Coulter, Scott Langmack, Stephen Ehikian, Tarak Makecha, Tom Krause |
| Source: | FOIA response by GSA for visitor logs in 2025 Document Cloud, 4/10/26 |
| Agency: | Commerce, DOGE, DOI, DOL, GSA, HUD, NASA, OPM, Treas., USDA |
2/17/25
Interagency Coordination:
Joshua Fox emails a few NASA administrators to introduce himself as “one of the attorneys at DOGE” and to also inform them “I just spoke to Scott Coulter about this, but I wanted to let you know that he is planning to go over to SSA tomorrow.” He includes several other DOGE leadership personnel in the email chain. It’s unclear from the message who actually made the decision that Scott Coulter would be detailed to the Social Security Administration.
Interagency Coordination:
Joshua Fox emails a few NASA administrators to introduce himself as “one of the attorneys at DOGE” and to also inform them “I just spoke to Scott Coulter about this, but I wanted to let you know that he is planning to go over to SSA tomorrow.” He includes several other DOGE leadership personnel in the email chain. It’s unclear from the message who actually made the decision that Scott Coulter would be detailed to the Social Security Administration.
| Person: | Amy Gleason, James Burnham, Joshua Fox, Kendall Lindemann, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | NASA Response to FOIA About Scott Coulter Detail to SSA Muckrock, 1/15/26 |
| Agency: | DOGE, NASA |
2/18/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| NASA Detailed To: SSA Scott Coulter 2/18/25-3/23/25 | |
| Source: | Onboarding documents at SSA for "Employee 2" Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
| Source: | Detail from NASA to SSA for "Employee 2" Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
Onboarding:
Multiple unidentified DOGE staffers start working at SSA on the same day. SSA-02 (Scott Coulter) is detailed from NASA. SSA-07 (Marko Elez) is detailed from the DOL. SSA-10 (Ethan Shaotran) arrives from the GSA, and SSA-05 (Cole Killian) is detailed from DOGE itself.
Onboarding:
Multiple unidentified DOGE staffers start working at SSA on the same day. SSA-02 (Scott Coulter) is detailed from NASA. SSA-07 (Marko Elez) is detailed from the DOL. SSA-10 (Ethan Shaotran) arrives from the GSA, and SSA-05 (Cole Killian) is detailed from DOGE itself.
| Person: | Cole Killian, Ethan Shaotran, Marko Elez, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO v. SSA, doc 121-5 Court Document, 4/09/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
2/24/25
Disruption:
The Social Security Administration eliminates an internal team of technologists called the Office of Transformation that was working to modernize SSA processes. Although officially made by Leland Dudek, this direction was given by Scott Coulter.
Disruption:
The Social Security Administration eliminates an internal team of technologists called the Office of Transformation that was working to modernize SSA processes. Although officially made by Leland Dudek, this direction was given by Scott Coulter.
| Person: | Leland Dudek, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security Pro Publica, 9/08/25 |
| Source: | Social Security Eliminates Wasteful Department Social Security Administration, 2/24/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |
2/28/25
Official Action:
Via email, SSA-05 (Cole Killian) at the DOGE team at SSA requests and receives approval from Leland Dudek to run a program to identify unrealistically old people in the SSA database. Scott Coulter is cc’ed on the approval.
Official Action:
Via email, SSA-05 (Cole Killian) at the DOGE team at SSA requests and receives approval from Leland Dudek to run a program to identify unrealistically old people in the SSA database. Scott Coulter is cc’ed on the approval.
| Person: | Cole Killian, Leland Dudek, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO v. SSA, doc 121-3 Court Document, 4/09/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
| DOGE Project: | Fraud |
2/XX/25
Appointed:
Scott Coulter starts at NASA.
Appointed:
Scott Coulter starts at NASA.
| Appointed: | Scott Coulter 2/XX/25 |
| Salary: | $120,579 |
| Source: | Data Reveals Details About DOGE, Government Hiring in 2025 Bloomberg, 1/09/26 |
| Note: | Missing details |
Interagency Coordination:
A whistleblower reports attending a meeting with USDS Administrator Amy Gleason, the SSA CIO Scott Coulter and several other DOGE staffers at the agency. The whistleblower reports that Gleason did not contribute to the meeting and was clearly not directing DOGE activities at the agency.
Interagency Coordination:
A whistleblower reports attending a meeting with USDS Administrator Amy Gleason, the SSA CIO Scott Coulter and several other DOGE staffers at the agency. The whistleblower reports that Gleason did not contribute to the meeting and was clearly not directing DOGE activities at the agency.
| Question: | Fuzz: time is just given as February |
| Person: | Amy Gleason, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | Unchecked and Unaccountable: How DOGE Jeopardizes Americans' Data Without Regard for Law and Congress Senate Homeland Security and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, 9/25/25 |
| Agency: | DOGE, SSA |
3/12/25
| Person: | Akash Bobba, Antonio Gracias, Aram Moghaddassi, Cole Killian, Ethan Shaotran, Jon Koval, Marko Elez, Nikhil Rajpal, Payton Rehling, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | AFL-CIO v. DOL, doc 53-1 Court Document, 3/13/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
3/13/25
Identification:
Wired reports that 10 DOGE staffers are currently visible in the Microsoft Teams directory of all employees at SSA
Identification:
Wired reports that 10 DOGE staffers are currently visible in the Microsoft Teams directory of all employees at SSA
| Person: | Akash Bobba, Antonio Gracias, Cole Killian, Ethan Shaotran, Jon Koval, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, Nikhil Rajpal, Payton Rehling, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | These Are the 10 DOGE Operatives Inside the Social Security Administration Wired Magazine, 3/13/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
3/14/25
Identification:
A Business Insider article reports that Alexander Simonpour has shown up at NASA and also has a GSA address (meaning he was likely detailed from the GSA). Riley Sennott and Scott Coulter also are listed in the NASA online directory.
Identification:
A Business Insider article reports that Alexander Simonpour has shown up at NASA and also has a GSA address (meaning he was likely detailed from the GSA). Riley Sennott and Scott Coulter also are listed in the NASA online directory.
| Person: | Alexander Simonpour, Riley Sennott, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | A veteran Tesla engineering manager has joined DOGE, and he's set to attend a NASA layoffs meeting Business Insider, 3/14/25 |
| Agency: | NASA |
System Access:
ProPublica reports that a DOGE detailee at NASA Scott Coulter has “wide access to internal databases at NASA.”
System Access:
ProPublica reports that a DOGE detailee at NASA Scott Coulter has “wide access to internal databases at NASA.”
| Person: | Scott Coulter |
| Source: | Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew Pro Publica Projects, |
| Agency: | NASA |
3/24/25
Appointed:
Scott Coulter starts as Chief Information Officer at SSA.
Appointed:
Scott Coulter starts as Chief Information Officer at SSA.
| Appointed: | Scott Coulter 3/24/25-c.6/05/25 |
| Position Title: | Chief Information Officer |
| Source: | Onboarding documents at SSA for "Employee 2" Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
| Source: | The Fight Between Musk Acolytes and the White House for Control of DOGE The Wall Street Journal, 6/08/25 |
| Note: | Was listed as CIO on May 30, but Aram took over in June. WSJ reports on removal of SSA employee back to NASA in June. Aram/Russo listed as co-CIOs on 6/6 |
4/08/25
Oversight:
A letter from Democrats on the House Committee of Science, Space, and Technology expresses specific concern about the lack of qualifications of DOGE staff at the agency. It explicitly names Scott Coulter, Riley Sennott and Alexander Simonpour as the DOGE team at the agency.
Oversight:
A letter from Democrats on the House Committee of Science, Space, and Technology expresses specific concern about the lack of qualifications of DOGE staff at the agency. It explicitly names Scott Coulter, Riley Sennott and Alexander Simonpour as the DOGE team at the agency.
| Person: | Alexander Simonpour, Riley Sennott, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | Letter to the Acting Administrator of NASA Democrats on the House Committee for Science, Space and Technology, 4/08/25 |
| Agency: | NASA |
System Access:
Aram Moghaddassi adds 6300 names of suspected immigrants to the “death master file” as a way of forcing them to “self-deport” by making it impossible to use financial products. This list included the names of 7 minors.
System Access:
Aram Moghaddassi adds 6300 names of suspected immigrants to the “death master file” as a way of forcing them to “self-deport” by making it impossible to use financial products. This list included the names of 7 minors.
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | Social Security Lists Thousands of Migrants as Dead to Prompt Them to ‘Self-Deport’ The New York Times, 4/10/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
| DOGE Project: | Immigration |
4/10/25
System Access:
102 more names of living people are added to the Master Death File at SSA to destroy their ability to participate in society and to “self-deport” as a result.
System Access:
102 more names of living people are added to the Master Death File at SSA to destroy their ability to participate in society and to “self-deport” as a result.
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | Trump administration overrode Social Security staff to list immigrants as dead The Washington Post, 4/12/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
| DOGE Project: | Immigration |
Disruption:
Greg Pearre, a senior career executive overseeing technologists at the SSA, is forced out of his office by security guards after clashing with CIO Scott Coulter and calling his plan to forcibly declare immigrants dead both illegal and cruel.
Disruption:
Greg Pearre, a senior career executive overseeing technologists at the SSA, is forced out of his office by security guards after clashing with CIO Scott Coulter and calling his plan to forcibly declare immigrants dead both illegal and cruel.
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | Trump administration overrode Social Security staff to list immigrants as dead The Washington Post, 4/12/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
| DOGE Project: | Immigration, Impunity |
4/18/25
Disruption:
Some immigrants have been forced to prove they aren’t dead after being added to the Master Death File in an attempt to force them to “self-deport.” The White House had falsely claimed nobody was really declared dead.
Disruption:
Some immigrants have been forced to prove they aren’t dead after being added to the Master Death File in an attempt to force them to “self-deport.” The White House had falsely claimed nobody was really declared dead.
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | Immigrants prove they are alive, forcing Social Security to undo death label The Washington Post, 4/18/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
| DOGE Project: | Immigration |
c.6/05/25
Offboarding:
Scott Coulter leaves role as Chief Information Officer at SSA
Offboarding:
Scott Coulter leaves role as Chief Information Officer at SSA
| Appointed: | Scott Coulter 3/24/25-c.6/05/25 |
| Position Title: | Chief Information Officer |
| Source: | Onboarding documents at SSA for "Employee 2" Document Cloud, 4/09/25 |
| Source: | The Fight Between Musk Acolytes and the White House for Control of DOGE The Wall Street Journal, 6/08/25 |
| Note: | Was listed as CIO on May 30, but Aram took over in June. WSJ reports on removal of SSA employee back to NASA in June. Aram/Russo listed as co-CIOs on 6/6 |
Report:
Frank Bisignano is granted permission to remove any DOGE staff at his agency. According to the report, “Bisignano parted ways with one DOGE staffer from SSA, who in June moved to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” The date and person isn’t named, but the CIO replacement at SSA and NASA connection suggest it’s Scott Coulter who was removed in early June.
Report:
Frank Bisignano is granted permission to remove any DOGE staff at his agency. According to the report, “Bisignano parted ways with one DOGE staffer from SSA, who in June moved to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” The date and person isn’t named, but the CIO replacement at SSA and NASA connection suggest it’s Scott Coulter who was removed in early June.
| Person: | Frank Bisignano, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | The Fight Between Musk Acolytes and the White House for Control of DOGE The Wall Street Journal, 6/08/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |
6/28/25
Disruption:
According to a page update on the Federal CIO site, Aram Moghaddassi is named the new CIO of the Social Security Administration, making him the third DOGE-affiliated CIO in a row at the agency. This follows on reports that he had been acting in a co-CIO role with former CIO Mike Russo. He replaces Scott Coulter who was the CIO as recently as late May.
Disruption:
According to a page update on the Federal CIO site, Aram Moghaddassi is named the new CIO of the Social Security Administration, making him the third DOGE-affiliated CIO in a row at the agency. This follows on reports that he had been acting in a co-CIO role with former CIO Mike Russo. He replaces Scott Coulter who was the CIO as recently as late May.
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Mike Russo, Scott Coulter |
| Source: | Social Security Administration makes another DOGE switch at CIO FedScoop, 6/28/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |