Martin O'Malley: What to Know About Social Security's New Commissioner
Martin O'Malley gets Senate nod to lead the Social Security Administration.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Today
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.
Sent five days a week
Kiplinger A Step Ahead
Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Closing Bell
Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Adviser Intel
Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.
Delivered weekly
Kiplinger Tax Tips
Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Retirement Tips
Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement
Sent bimonthly.
Kiplinger Adviser Angle
Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Investing Weekly
Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.
Sent weekly for six weeks
Kiplinger Invest for Retirement
Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.
The Senate confirmed former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley by a 50-11 vote on Monday (December 18) to be the Social Security Administration's (SSA) new commissioner.
O'Malley, whom President Joe Biden nominated four months ago, will fill the term expiring on January 19, 2025 of Andrew Saul, whom the president fired more than two years ago and replaced with current Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi.
O’Malley comes into the position during a tenuous time for the agency. He faces a number of Issues including the agency's solvency and concerns over Social Security benefits, a staffing shortage and a $23 billion overpayment problem.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
During his confirmation hearing, O'Malley also touched on one of the biggest issues that the agency is grappling with — customer service. O’Malley vowed to work on cutting customer service wait times and to work with staff to boost morale and streamline processes.
“The truth is, today, the Social Security Administration is serving a 50 percent increase in beneficiary customers with the same levels of staffing they had in 1995,” he said at his hearing.
Maryland senators voice their support
U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) pointed to O'Malley's tenure as governor of their state and voiced their support for his nomination and win.
“As the former chief executive of our state, I know he is committed to serving the American people and that he will be a great team leader for the public servants who power this Maryland-based agency,” Van Hollen said. “I’m confident in his commitment to protecting this vital earned benefit and delivering critical service for those who count on it.”
In a tweet following the announcement, O’Malley said he was “humbled and honored” to be chosen for the job.
“President Biden believes Social Security is a sacred promise,” he wrote. “I look forward to earning the senate’s approval and serving with the hardworking patriots of the U.S. Social Security Administration.”
On the same day O’Malley was voted in, Kijakazi detailed the agency’s accomplishments in a statement. She also acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead.
Challenges ahead
“The combined effect of the pandemic and chronic underfunding have taken a toll on our employees,” she said in the statement. “It has led to high attrition and backlogs. Our budget directly drives the level of service we can provide."
She said that the agency needs enough well-trained employees to ensure that it can meet the needs of those it serves. "New hires are necessary to begin to reduce growing backlogs and improve service. I am pleased that the funding we received in fiscal year 2023 allowed us to hire nearly 8,000 employees in the past year, but we must be able to maintain this staffing level.”
O'Malley, who also served two terms as mayor of Baltimore, said during his confirmation hearing that he implemented the city's first 311 system. He also said he has a track record of engaging with new technology to move a system — especially one as outdated as the Social Security Administration — toward more modern, user-friendly processes.
O'Malley, who also ran an unsuccessful bid for the presidential nomination in 2016, "likes to tout his statistics-based approach to governing, both in Baltimore City and in the governor's mansion,” according to an NPR report published in 2015 during his bid for president. “While serving as mayor, O'Malley launched a program called CitiStat to improve management and services across Baltimore. Modeled after the Compstat program used by the New York City Police Department, CitiStat focused on real-time tracking of a plethora of urban problems — from broken street lamps and potholes to how often city employees were skipping work.”
RELATED CONTENT
-
Ask the Tax Editor: Federal Income Tax DeductionsAsk the Editor In this week's Ask the Editor Q&A, Joy Taylor answers questions on federal income tax deductions
-
States With No-Fault Car Insurance Laws (and How No-Fault Car Insurance Works)A breakdown of the confusing rules around no-fault car insurance in every state where it exists.
-
Why Picking a Retirement Age Feels Impossible (and How to Finally Decide)Struggling with picking a date? Experts explain how to get out of your head and retire on your own terms.
