Teen DOGE staffer 'Big Balls' has gone to work for the Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration said Thursday that it had hired Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old nicknamed “Big Balls” who the White House said earlier in the week had left the Trump administration.

Coristine joined the Social Security Administration this week as a special government employee, a type of temporary position with relatively few disclosure obligations, the benefits agency said.

“His work will be focused on improving the functionality of the Social Security website and advancing our mission of delivering more efficient service to the American people,” Stephen McGraw, a Social Security spokesperson, said in a statement.

Coristine was one of the original staff members of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. He drew wide public attention not only because of his nickname but also because of his youthfulness and his job history, having been fired from an internship at a cybersecurity firm for leaking company secrets, according to Bloomberg News.

His age and lack of experience came to symbolize DOGE for many of its critics, including federal workers and congressional Democrats who said it was acting recklessly in its quest to slash spending.

Coristine’s work with DOGE involved tours at several agencies. In February, he was listed in a directory as a senior adviser at the country’s top cybersecurity agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security. Coristine most recently worked at the General Services Administration.

The Social Security Administration did not respond to a question about whether Coristine was still reporting to DOGE.

DOGE staffers have had a rocky relationship with Social Security. Musk has repeatedly criticized the agency, which provides retirement, disability and survivor benefits to more than 70 million people — despite President Donald Trump’s pledge to “not touch” Social Security.

In February, the head of Social Security left her job after she refused a request from DOGE for access to sensitive records. DOGE also pushed to close offices and cut back on phone services.

This month, the Supreme Court allowed DOGE staffers to access Social Security data over the objections of labor unions and a group of retirees.

Coristine’s government service appeared to have ended earlier this week. On Tuesday, a White House spokesperson said that Coristine had left the GSA and the Trump administration entirely. On Thursday, the White House referred questions about the new job to the Social Security Administration.

Coristine did not respond to emailed requests for comment this week.

In an interview with Fox News last month, Coristine asserted that there were “no checks and no accountability” in federal spending, despite statements by budget watchdogs to the contrary.

Multiple DOGE staffers have left the Trump administration — a list that includes Musk, who departed the White House late last month and launched a short-lived feud against Trump. Others who have left include Musk chief aide Steve Davis and Amanda Scales, an employee of Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, according to TechCrunch.

CLARIFICATION (June 25, 2025; 1:20 p.m. ET): This article has been updated to remove a reference to an X account for Coristine, because the authenticity of the account is unclear.

UPDATE (June 26, 2025; 8:05 p.m. ET): This article has been updated to include new information about Coristine’s placement at the Social Security Administration.