Senate Panel Advances Former Maryland Governor’s Nomination to Head Social Security

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley speaks during day three of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on July 27, 2016. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

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).

The Senate Finance Committee confirmed its support by passing him out of committee four months after President Joe Biden picked the former governor to fill the position on July 26.

All committee Democrats voted to confirm Mr. O'Malley, as did Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

Disagreement on the nominee, who has some bipartisan support, arose over the removal of his predecessor, former Commissioner Andrew Saul, one of the few remaining holdovers appointed by former President Donald Trump.

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).

“I base my support for Martin O'Malley on the fact that every single time we have talked, he has emphasized one matter and one matter only, and that is service above politics,” Mr. Wyden said during his opening remarks. “I urge my colleagues to support him.”

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.

Responding to his nomination in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr. O'Malley said he is “humbled and honored” to be chosen by the president to lead the SSA into the future.

“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.

Lorenz Duchamps contributed to this report.