Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley was passed out of committee in a 17–10 vote on Nov. 28 and is headed for a full Senate vote to be the next Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA).
During the Nov. 28 Finance Committee meeting, the issue of whether Mr. Saul’s removal politicized the office was a matter of contention between Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).
The circumstances of the post’s vacancy were cited as cause for concern by Mr. Crapo, who said, “I will not be supporting his nomination today.
“When the Biden administration removed the last Senate-confirmed Commissioner prior to the completion of his six-year term, I expressed strong concern that this decision politicized the SSA to the detriment of Social Security beneficiaries.
The Idaho Republican went on to explain his position, saying, “It is important for commissioners to have sufficient time and certainty to implement real changes. Now that the precedent has been set to shorten the commissioner’s term, future administrations could follow it.”
Responding to Mr. Crapo’s concerns, Mr. Wyden cited several court cases where “the Supreme Court ruled that single agency heads served at the pleasure of the President,” seemingly in an attempt to support President Biden’s right to choose a replacement for the former administration’s pick.
Near the end of his comments, Mr. Crapo assured the committee chairman and nominee that, “If confirmed, I will work with Governor O'Malley on this and other issues in a bipartisan manner.
“Although I will not be voting in favor of Governor O'Malley’s nomination today, we do share the goal of getting the Social Security Administration back on track so that it can provide the public with the level of service they expect and deserve.”
When nominating Mr. O'Malley, President Biden described the former governor as a “lifelong public servant” who has made government work more productive across his administration and improved the way “millions of people accessed critical services” while also keeping Americans at the center of his work.
“As Mayor of Baltimore and Governor of Maryland, he adopted data and performance-driven technologies to tackle complex challenges facing the communities he served—and I saw the results firsthand when we worked together during my time as Vice President,” said President Biden.
“President Biden believes Social Security is a sacred promise,” Mr. O'Malley said. “I look forward to earning the Senate’s approval and serving with the hardworking patriots” of the SSA.
Mr. O'Malley was Baltimore’s mayor for two terms and served as Maryland’s governor from 2007 to 2015. In 2016, he ran for president in the Democratic primaries but withdrew following disappointing caucus results, ruling out future campaigns.
Before becoming mayor, Mr. Malley was an assistant state’s attorney and a Baltimore City Council member from 1991 to 1999.
