July 26 (UPI) — President Joe Biden Wednesday announced his intent to nominate former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley as Social Security Administration commissioner.
“Governor O’Malley is a lifelong public servant who has spent his career making government more accessible and transparent, while keeping the American people at the heart of his work,” Biden said in a White House statement.
O’Malley was governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015 after serving two terms as mayor of Baltimore.
“Since Day 1 I have fought to strengthen and defend Social Security, which tens of millions of Americans have paid into and depend on to support their livelihoods. I know that Gov. O’Malley will continue to be a strong partner who works tirelessly to protect Social Security for generations to come,” Biden’s statement read.
In Biden’s State of the Union speech Feb. 7, the president said, “Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans — some Republicans — want Social Security and Medicare to sunset. I’m not saying it’s the majority.”
Biden fired Trump-appointed Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul in July 2021 after Saul refused to resign.
Biden said he has seen firsthand how O’Malley used data and performance-driven technologies to deal with complex challenges facing the communities he served.
“As governor, he made government work more effectively across his administration and enhanced the way millions of people accessed critical services,” Biden said.
O’Malley earned a B.A. from Catholic University and a J.D. from the University fo Maryland Law School.
The White House said O’ Malley is a pioneer of using performance management and customer service technologies in government.