The Senate confirms Martin O'Malley, Biden's nominee for the Social Security Administration

On Monday, the Senate confirmed Martin O’Malley as the new commissioner of the United States Social Security Administration (SSA). Although President Joe Biden had nominated his candidate in June, the hearings were delayed until mid-December, when a bipartisan vote gave the go-ahead to the former Maryland governor.

After being vetted in the Senate Finance Committee, his name advanced to the full Senate for the final vote, which ended with 50 in favor, 11 against and 39 people who did not vote to confirm O’Malley for his new position. The seven Republicans who joined the Democratic majority in voting yes were Chuck Grassley (R-IO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AL), Susan Collins (R-MA), Mike Rounds (R-IN) and Tom Tillis (R-NC).

“We can and we must do better as a nation, and as an agency. I believe President Biden nominated me for this position because I have the leadership skills, the management skills, and the experience — needed at this moment — to lead this organization forward,” declared the former mayor of Baltimore during his confirmation hearing.

Ron Wyden (D-OR), chairman of the aforementioned committee, praised the nominee’s abilities to fill the position. “Throughout his career in public service, Martin O’Malley established an unimpeachable record of modernization and increased transparency squarely focused on helping Marylanders get the services they count on. He understands better than most that there is no Republican or Democrat way to fill a pothole or improve customer service,” he said.

O’Malley was also a candidate for president in 2016 when he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination. He announced his candidacy in mid-2015 and polls placed him in third place behind Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. However, he ended his campaign after receiving only 0.6% of the vote in the Iowa primary.

What does the SSA do?

According to its own website, the agency has two main functions. The first is to assign Social Security numbers, while the second is to manage Social Security retirement, survivorship, and disability programs.

Established in 1935, the agency administers retirements, disability pensions and survivor benefits. It has its main headquarters in Maryland.