[Senate Hearing 118-740]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 118-740
NOMINATION OF MARTIN J. O'MALLEY
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
on the
NOMINATION OF
MARTIN J. O'MALLEY, TO BE COMMISSIONER,
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
__________
NOVEMBER 2, 2023
__________
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Printed for the use of the Committee on Finance
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
61-980-PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
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COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
RON WYDEN, Oregon, Chairman
DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan MIKE CRAPO, Idaho
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington CHUCK GRASSLEY, Iowa
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey JOHN CORNYN, Texas
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio BILL CASSIDY, Louisiana
MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
ROBERT P. CASEY, Jr., Pennsylvania STEVE DAINES, Montana
MARK R. WARNER, Virginia TODD YOUNG, Indiana
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada THOM TILLIS, North Carolina
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
Joshua Sheinkman, Staff Director
Gregg Richard, Republican Staff Director
(II)
C O N T E N T S
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OPENING STATEMENTS
Page
Wyden, Hon. Ron, a U.S. Senator from Oregon, chairman, Committee
on Finance..................................................... 1
Crapo, Hon. Mike, a U.S. Senator from Idaho...................... 3
Cardin, Hon. Benjamin L., a U.S. Senator from Maryland........... 7
WITNESS
Mikulski, Hon. Barbara, a former U.S. Senator from Maryland...... 5
ADMINISTRATION NOMINEE
O'Malley, Hon. Martin J., nominated to be Commissioner, Social
Security Administration, Baltimore, MD......................... 8
ALPHABETICAL LISTING AND APPENDIX MATERIAL
Cardin, Hon. Benjamin L.:
Opening statement............................................ 7
Crapo, Hon. Mike:
Opening statement............................................ 3
Prepared statement........................................... 43
Mikulski, Hon. Barbara:
Testimony.................................................... 5
Prepared statement........................................... 44
O'Malley, Hon. Martin J.:
Testimony.................................................... 8
Prepared statement........................................... 45
Biographical information..................................... 46
Responses to questions from committee members................ 65
Wyden, Hon. Ron:
Opening statement............................................ 1
Prepared statement........................................... 76
Communications
Alliance for Retired Americans................................... 79
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees,
AFL-CIO........................................................ 80
City of New Bedford, MA.......................................... 80
Feds for Freedom................................................. 81
(III)
NOMINATION OF MARTIN J. O'MALLEY,
TO BE COMMISSIONER,
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
----------
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Finance,
Washington, DC.
The hearing was convened, pursuant to notice, at 10:03
a.m., in room SD-215, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Ron
Wyden (chairman of the committee) presiding.
Present: Senators Cantwell, Menendez, Carper, Cardin,
Brown, Bennet, Casey, Whitehouse, Hassan, Cortez Masto, Crapo,
Grassley, Cornyn, Thune, Daines, Young, and Blackburn.
Also present: Democratic staff: Sam Conchuratt,
Professional Staff Member; Joshua Sheinkman, Staff Director;
Tiffany Smith, Deputy Staff Director and Chief Counsel; and
Ryder Tobin, Senior Investigative Counsel and Nominations
Advisor. Republican staff: Becky Cole, Chief Economist; Gregg
Richard, Staff Director; and Lara Rosner, Social Security
Policy Advisor.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RON WYDEN, A U.S. SENATOR FROM
OREGON, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
The Chairman. The Finance Committee will come to order.
This morning, we are meeting to consider the nomination of
Governor Martin O'Malley to be Commissioner of the Social
Security Administration. Before we get to Governor O'Malley
though, I am going to introduce the beloved Senator, Barbara
Mikulski.
She and I served together, and she would often point to
herself and point to me and would say something along the lines
of ``great to see you'' to the guest. ``I'm the short of it,''
she would say, and then she would look up at me and go, ``He's
the tall of it.'' [Laughter.]
Senator Mikulski, you are going to get a formal
introduction in a few minutes from your Senator from Maryland,
but let me start first. You might say I was tall and you were
short, but for all of us here in the Senate, you are the giant.
You are the giant, and let us give her a big round of applause.
[Applause.]
The Chairman. What an extraordinary record Senator Mikulski
has achieved in both the Senate and the House, and we are going
to hear from her momentarily. Governor O'Malley, you are going
to have to try to compete with this. This is going to be a
challenge, but you have had a life of public service, and you
have built a world-class reputation for harnessing technology
to deliver transformative change in government.
As Mayor of Baltimore, you established the Nation's first
311 call center; very important. You helped people shop for
services. You threw open the doors of government, and that is
why none of us were surprised that the President nominated you
to serve, because it is that kind of leadership that is needed
at Social Security.
This is a program that is a lifeline for millions of
Americans. This is how I got my start in public service, as
Senator Mikulski knows, when I was director of the Gray
Panthers. This is an incredibly important program to help
people with disabilities, surviving spouses, other Americans
who earn benefits with every paycheck.
Now, it is no secret that the Social Security
Administration has had its share of challenges, from long lines
stretching around field offices, phone systems crashing,
outdated technology systems, and most recently low staff
morale. There have been a lot of criticisms, and a lot of
colleagues here in the Senate are talking about it, and we want
to make some real changes.
That said, we have the power of the purse and the pen, and
we can take responsibility as well for Social Security's
performance--and work with the person who fills the job that
you have been nominated for to really get solutions to these
concerns that our constituents are talking about.
It is not surprising that customer service and staff morale
improved as funding levels rose. It is also not surprising that
backlogs and wait times grew as funding levels fell. Social
Security's budget has been through the ringer over the last
decade. Since 2010, the budget has fallen by 17 percent, while
the number of beneficiaries has risen by 20 percent. So, if you
look at the Social Security Administration, it is trying to do
more with less money.
Now, we can talk about all these numbers, but what this
really means is parents and grandparents and folks with
disabled children, they are waiting months, if not years, to
get a decision on disability. Social Security's dedicated
employees get overworked and burned out. They have, based on
what we have seen, left to go work elsewhere.
Every single member on this dais has talked about how
important Social Security is to their constituents, and the
message from this committee is that we should never cut
benefits. That is something I agree with. Every American who
has worked their whole life and paid into Social Security
deserves platinum-level service. Well, what we have seen is
that, because of cuts to Social Security, that has not always
been the case.
Now, in addition to the agency's funding challenges, we
have our constituents coming to us with concerns that are not
from Capitol hearing rooms, but from their own lives. Here is
an example. I have a constituent in Albany, OR who receives
Social Security SSI benefits--Supplemental Security Income
benefits--because of a severe disability, and she lives in her
parents' home.
Although she is unable to work because of her disability,
she still has paid half of her SSI benefit to her parents each
month as rent. However, Social Security notified her recently
that she owes the government more than $9,000 in overpaid
benefits. It spans several years, because Social Security
determined she received a rental subsidy from her parents. That
is considered income under the Social Security Act.
My staff has worked with her. She tried to appeal the
overpayment, but so far, her appeal has been denied, and the
reason is, the law is clear on it. So this constituent is being
punished because her parents lent a helping hand to their
child. Now, the agency has made notable strides to simplify SSI
rules, including those related to housing support.
But they are still hanging on, they are still tethered to
some outdated laws. So I and several members of this committee
have, on a bipartisan basis, joined Senator Brown and Senator
Cassidy to champion bipartisan legislation to modernize SSI to
make it easier for the beneficiaries to work, to save, to
marry, and to simplify the program and reduce these
overpayments. I am very proud to be supporting this bipartisan
legislation that will speak to my constituents, whether they
are in Albany, OR or anywhere else.
And I am going to close with this: Social Security is at an
inflection point. We can keep relying on these policies from
yesteryear--that is one route. Congress is good at doing that,
you know: let us just keep doing what we are doing. Or we can
renew the program so that we can really achieve the kind of
quality services that seniors, disabled folks, all these people
walking on an economic tightrope, deserve. I believe, Governor
O'Malley--having spent a lot of time talking with you, having
listened to Senator Mikulski talk about your background--I
think you are a person who can help restore the incredible
promise of Social Security.
So, we look forward to hearing from you. We are now going
to hear from Senator Crapo, and then for the genuine,
regulation introduction, we will go to Senator Cardin, and then
we will hear from Senator Mikulski.
Senator Crapo?
[The prepared statement of Chairman Wyden appears in the
appendix.]
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MIKE CRAPO,
A U.S. SENATOR FROM IDAHO
Senator Crapo. Thank you, Senator Wyden. And, Governor
O'Malley, congratulations on your nomination, and thank you for
your willingness to serve.
When we met, you asked me what I wanted of you, and I did
not tell you we wanted you to change all of these policy
problems, because that is not your job. It would not be your
job as the Social Security Commissioner. I asked you to make
sure the trains run on time, and to fix and simplify the
system. That can be done administratively. I appreciate your
willingness to address those kinds of issues.
This nomination is long overdue, coming more than 2 years
after President Biden removed the prior Senate-confirmed
Commissioner. During this time, the Social Security
Administration has struggled to fulfill its customer service
mission.
The Social Security Administration is responsible for
overseeing the Social Security program, which provides more
than $1 trillion in benefits to millions of seniors,
individuals with disabilities, and their families every year.
The SSA also administers the Supplemental Security Income
program, which Senator Wyden has referenced, assigns Social
Security numbers, and issues Social Security cards. Given the
SSA's important responsibilities, the public rightly expects
the agency to provide timely and responsive service. However,
SSA is not currently living up to those expectations.
For Fiscal Year 2023, Americans waited more than 7 months
on average for a disability decision at the initial level. For
those denied at the initial level, they waited another 7 months
at the reconsideration level, and another nearly 15 months if
they sought a hearing before an administrative law judge.
While not all applicants will qualify for disability
benefits, they all deserve to receive a decision within a
reasonable period of time. The Social Security Administration
must take additional steps to reduce wait times for disability
decisions, and address outdated disability program rules.
SSA's national 800 number is one of the primary channels
for seeking assistance from the agency, and it must do more to
address wait times. In Fiscal Year 2023, callers to the
national 800 number waited more than 35 minutes on average to
speak with a representative, compared to approximately 13
minutes 2 years ago, and around 10 minutes a decade ago. SSA
should also continue improving its online services, which not
only increase flexibility for beneficiaries, but also allow the
agency to be more efficient with its resources.
Americans rightly expect that the Social Security
Administration will be a responsible steward of taxpayer funds.
However, for Fiscal Year 2021, the SSA issued approximately
$2.49 billion in improper payments for Social Security, and
$4.91 billion for SSI. The agency has additional tools to
prevent improper payments before they occur, and the agency
should use them.
Finally, while the President and Congress are tasked with
ensuring Social Security's long-term solvency, the SSA plays a
critical role in making sure that the administration, Congress,
and the public have accurate and timely information about the
program's long-term finances.
This year, for the first time in over a decade, the Social
Security trustees report was delivered to Congress by the
statutory April 1st deadline. I expect a new Commissioner to
help ensure that the trustees report deadline is treated as a
deadline, not a suggestion.
Governor O'Malley, if confirmed, you will face immense
challenges and a relatively short time line to get the Social
Security Administration back on track. This may all be a tall
order, but the American people deserve nothing less.
I look forward to hearing your testimony and responses to
questions today, so that we can better understand how you would
evaluate and address SSA's customer service challenges; what
specific data you would look at to evaluate the use of
telework; how you would ensure that the SSA's independent
status is maintained in practice; and what would be your top
areas of focus with respect to modernizing SSA's information
technology.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, and thank you again,
Governor O'Malley, for being willing to take on this task.
[The prepared statement of Senator Crapo appears in the
appendix.]
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Crapo.
Now we are going to hear from Senator Mikulski, and that is
because of the graciousness of your colleague from Maryland,
Senator Cardin. He looked over at me and said, ``Senator
Mikulski first.'' So, Senator, wonderful to have you. Please
proceed.
STATEMENT OF HON. BARBARA MIKULSKI,
A FORMER U.S. SENATOR FROM MARYLAND
Senator Mikulski. Mr. Chairman and Senator Cardin, thank
you for your graciousness, as always. But, Mr. Chairman, Mr.
Ranking Member Senator Crapo, thank you very much for inviting
me to appear before the Finance Committee on the nomination of
Martin O'Malley.
Why am I here to testify? Well, this is my first time back
in Dirksen in 5 years, because of COVID and other dynamics. But
I also believe when you hang it up, do not hang around. But I
wanted to come here today at your invitation, Mr. Chairman,
with the concurrence of the ranking member, to introduce and
talk about my knowledge of the nominee, Governor Martin
O'Malley, and also because of the hometown pride we feel in the
Social Security Administration.
We in Maryland have a lot of home-state pride to have the
Social Security Administration headquartered in Maryland, where
it has been for 88 years since Social Security was originally
passed with the work of the Congress, working with the
President.
We have a lot of pride in this where, as I said, first in
downtown--the city of Baltimore--and then in Woodlawn. Back in
the 1930s, when people were choking in the Dust Bowl or not
working in the Rust Bowl, Americans needed a safety net, and
that is when Social Security was created.
For 88 years, the Social Security Administration did not
miss a payment, but it is in much need of management reform.
The chairman, the ranking member, others, have catalogued all
of the constituent delivery services that are so familiar to
this committee, and the due diligence you are applying to fix
it.
But so many Americans depend on their Social Security, not
only as a lifeline, but a life preserver that keeps them
afloat. The challenges of the Social Security Administration
are vast, but the hard-working men and women of the Social
Security Administration need a strong, confirmed operational
leader, and the American people need a Social Security
Administration that works for them.
That is why I believe that Martin O'Malley will provide the
leadership and the management skills to do that. I have known
Governor O'Malley personally for more than 3 decades. Actually,
I knew him when he had more law books than ties. When I ran for
the Senate so many years ago in 1987, I recruited Martin
O'Malley to be my field director.
He was a law student. He was a brilliant organizer. He
helped me win, and then I went on to govern. Martin O'Malley
also chose a life of service. Service is in Governor O'Malley's
DNA. His father was a strong personality who went into service;
his mother worked in constituent services for me for a number
of years. His wife is a district court judge.
He went to schools like Gonzaga and Catholic U that
reinforced again the ethic of service to people and making the
world a better place. So Martin O'Malley ran for the Baltimore
City Council. I served there too. In Baltimore, we call it the
Pothole Parliament, because you have to really worry about the
nuts and bolts of delivering service. Then he became Mayor.
Well, when he became Mayor, people wondered whether he was
going to--he has a flare, a public flare, a persona. He sings,
he plays the guitar, but he is also an excellent manager. So
people wondered was Martin O'Malley going to be a showboat? But
guess what? He turned out to be a tugboat.
He actually moved the ship of state in the right direction,
often pulling it against its will. He had a knack for
organization, understanding the new technology and how to use
technology to be data-driven, metric-assessed, to use that
technology to motivate, not to castigate the employees to do a
better job.
Now, Governor O'Malley is not a big government guy. He is a
smart government guy. He believes you use modern management
tools to organize a workforce around a mission, measurable
objectives, and also stay within the budget and on line. In
Baltimore, in the City Council, we had to have a balanced
budget. You could not just run your agency on, you know, make-
believe.
When you are the Governor of the State of Maryland, again,
there is a constitutional mandate to pass a balanced budget. So
the Governor, Governor O'Malley, knows how to work within
budgetary lines, master technology using data, metrics, and so
on, to deploy the right resources to the right people to do the
job, and then really measure--measure--performance to not
castigate but to motivate.
Using that, I believe, is what Social Security needs now.
Social Security does need a seasoned leader, and Martin
O'Malley would be one that would provide that. As I said, we
take great pride in the Social Security Administration there.
The workers are really overwhelmed. The technology is really
dated. The facilities are pretty tired, as are often the
workers.
And then you outlined, Mr. Chairman and others, really what
constituents are facing and so on. So this is why I think that
he brings the commitment to service, the skill set to do that
job, a sense of fiscal responsibility, and an understanding
that Congress makes the policy; the administrator implements it
following the law and congressional intent.
So, I really think Governor O'Malley will do that job, and
I commend him to you for your consideration in the due
diligence you apply on all nominees.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Senator Mikulski appears in the
appendix.]
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator.
Governor, what a send-off. That was Exhibit A of a
complimentary and richly deserved send-off. And I will only
tell you, my mother used to say after a basketball game,
``Dear, just make sure you are out there running with the right
crowd.''
When you are with Senator Mikulski, you are running with
the right crowd. You are a lucky fellow.
All right. Senator Cardin?
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN,
A U.S. SENATOR FROM MARYLAND
Senator Cardin. Senator Wyden, Senator Crapo, thank you
very much for holding this hearing for Governor O'Malley's
nomination, and thank you for inviting back Barbara Mikulski.
Team Maryland is having a reunion. Barbara was the founder and
leader of Team Maryland. That is where we worked with Governor
O'Malley and Mayor O'Malley, and we worked together as a team.
And thank you for having Senator Mikulski back so we could
all update our book on the Mikulski one-liners. You've got some
fresh new one-liners. We appreciate that very much, Barb.
Senator Mikulski. I have had a long time to think about
them.
Senator Cardin. So, I have known Governor O'Malley--I knew
him when he was a city councilperson and took on some
incredible challenges in Baltimore City. I knew him when he was
Mayor of Baltimore, and had a chance to see him take on some of
the toughest challenges that we have ever seen, including
public safety, our schools--just incredible challenges with
limited resources.
I have seen him as Governor of Maryland, where he excelled
in really bringing our State together, and encompassing so much
as Governor. I have known him as a friend; I have known him as
a public servant. And, Governor O'Malley, you were trained very
well by Senator Mikulski, and we appreciate that.
There is not a challenge that he will back away from; I can
tell you that personally. He will take on any challenge. And I
just want to share with you, I was at City Hall when Governor
O'Malley set up CitiStat. This was a novel approach I had never
seen really carried out by a chief executive of a city.
He had ways in which he brought his agency heads in on a
regular basis, with specific objectives that they needed to
accomplish: it may have been to reduce the delays on some city
services; it might have been to deal with the maintenance of
our streets. And then on a regular basis, he had the stats to
see whether they were performing as they should. That is called
accountability.
He held his team accountable, and the results were just
incredible. I saw him with StateStat, as he transitioned from
city government to the State government. He is an incredible
manager, which is exactly what the Social Security
Administration needs.
He will do what is necessary in order, Senator Crapo, to
get the trains running on time, because that is exactly what we
need to make sure happens. So let me just quote from the former
Mayor of Indianapolis and the current director of the Kennedy
School of Government, Steve Goldsmith, and what he said about
Governor O'Malley. ``There are leaders who will charismatically
rally the city, those who work well with communities, those who
can manage well, and those who lead well. But what Martin
O'Malley brings in person is the full complement of those
skills.''
I think that really tells us the talent that we have before
us who is willing to take on this challenge at the Social
Security Administration. This is a critically important agency.
Sixty-six million Americans, one out of every five, depend upon
the benefits and services of the Social Security
Administration. And it is personal to me, because I am one of
those 66 million. So we all recognize how important this is.
I want to thank you, Martin O'Malley, for being willing to
take on this challenge. Thank you for your life service, public
service. Thank you, Katie and the entire family, because we
know the family is in on all of this. And I hope, Mr. Chairman,
that we can hear from Governor O'Malley, consider his
nomination quickly, and approve him so he can get to work.
The Chairman. Well said, Senator Cardin, and good luck,
Governor, trying to match all of this. Senator Mikulski,
Senator Cardin, it has been quite a beginning. And, Senator
Mikulski, you are always welcome. You are welcome to stay, and
we know also that you have a very busy schedule teaching at
Johns Hopkins. So, if you need to go to your students, we
understand.
Senator Mikulski. Mr. Chairman, Senator Crapo, I would like
to extend, if I could, a word of ``hello'' to my friend Senator
Grassley. I did not have a chance to greet him or you, Senator
Cornyn. Good to say ``hi.''
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Mikulski. Okay.
[Applause.]
The Chairman. All right. We are going to move along, just
as Senator Cardin recommended, and next we will hear from
Governor O'Malley.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARTIN J. O'MALLEY, NOMINATED TO BE
COMMISSIONER, SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, BALTIMORE, MD
Governor O'Malley. Chairman Wyden, thank you very, very
much. Ranking Member Crapo, members of the committee, thank you
for holding this hearing. I am going to ask you to indulge me
on a couple of really essential other ``thank you''s, and that
is, thank you to Senator Ben Cardin, and also thank you, former
Senator Barbara Mikulski, two of the most outstanding United
States Senators that our State has ever sent to Washington, and
that is saying a lot, because Maryland, in addition to crab
cakes and football, produces outstanding United States
Senators.
I want to thank you both for your leadership and what you
have done for America and also for the people of Maryland. I
want to thank President Biden for his trust in me. And finally
I want to thank my wife, Judge Katie Curran O'Malley, and my
children, Grace and Tara and William and Jack, for their
steadfast support in this challenge and indeed every call to
public service that our family has answered.
When I was a boy, I was taught by my parents--who were
themselves children of the Depression, young people who were
tested in their service in the second World War--that the
greatness of our country is found in the care and concern we
show for one another, especially people who are sick, people
who are elderly and living alone, people living with
disabilities, children, each of them our neighbor, who would
otherwise go hungry.
Social Security is the most far-reaching and important act
of social and economic justice that the people of the United
States of America have ever enacted for one another. For tens
of millions of Americans across our country, Social Security
today is the difference between living with dignity or living
in poverty. And for a remarkable 88 years, as Senator Mikulski
mentioned, without ever missing a single benefit payment,
Social Security has strived to provide the right amount to the
right person at the right time--and I might add, at a massive
scale. And for the long arc of its history, Social Security has
done so with a high degree of accuracy.
But today, for all of its historic strengths, we must
acknowledge that Social Security faces a customer service
crisis. The truth is today, the Social Security Administration
is serving 50 percent more customers and beneficiaries with the
same staffing it had 28 years ago in 1995.
In fact, last year was a 25-year low in Social Security
staffing. What does that mean? That means that today, a senior
citizen who calls the 800 number of the Social Security
Administration will face an average hold time of 37 long
minutes. Today, an American in need of disability benefits will
wait 220 days for an initial disability determination, and
perhaps as long as 2 years for the successive mandatory
appeals.
This is not the greatness of America. This is not
acceptable. If someone wants a face-to-face meeting with a
Social Security employee in a field office to claim their
benefits, they should be able to get one. If you are a person
already living with a severe disability, you should not have to
be dragged through 2 years of so-called due process in order to
receive the benefits for which you have already spent a
lifetime working. We can and we must do better, as an agency
and as a Nation.
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 Social Security
forward. As a Mayor, I learned there is no Democratic or
Republican way to fill a pothole, and as the Governor I learned
that the biggest and toughest challenges can only be tackled
with some degree of bipartisan consensus and cooperation.
But as both a Mayor and a Governor, I developed a
discipline--tipped to it by smarter and far more experienced
people than I. I developed a discipline for harnessing data and
information technologies in ways that got the best out of
large, siloed organizations, of people that many inside and
outside of government thought were too unwieldy, too slow, or
too steeped in excuses to change.
Despite the challenges the agency faces, I have no doubt
whatsoever that the dedicated, patriotic, and hardworking men
and women of the Social Security Administration of the United
States of America are up to this moment, and so am I.
With your consent and confirmation, it would be the honor
of a lifetime to lead Social Security's outstanding public
servants forward together in such an important mission, and it
would be an enormous privilege and honor to be able to make
sure that each of you is provided with, as our Nation's
policymakers, the very best information you need to make the
decisions necessary for the long-term sustainability and
strength of Social Security.
And so, with deep humility, I look forward to receiving
your advice. I greatly appreciate the time that so many of you
have made available to see me in your offices, and I look
forward to answering your questions today and hopefully earning
your consent.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Governor O'Malley appears in the
appendix.]
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Governor O'Malley. We
have some obligatory questions, and then we will get into the
questions from members. First Governor, is there anything that
you are aware of in your background that might present a
conflict of interest with the duties of the office to which you
have been nominated?
Governor O'Malley. No, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Second, do you know of any reason, personal
or otherwise, that would in any way prevent you from fully and
honorably discharging the responsibilities of the office to
which you have been nominated?
Governor O'Malley. No sir.
The Chairman. Third, do you agree, without reservation, to
respond to any reasonable summons to appear and testify before
any duly constituted committee of the Congress if you are
confirmed?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Finally, do you commit to providing a prompt
response in writing to any questions addressed to you by any
Senator of this committee?
Governor O'Malley. Yes sir.
The Chairman. We appreciate your responses, Governor. Now
we are going to go to member questions. Let me tell you what is
on my mind, Governor, because this is what members have asked
me about your nomination. You have, through much of your adult
life, held political office: Mayor, Governor. You were a
candidate for President of the United States.
This position that you have been nominated for is not about
politics. It is not about politics at all. It is about service.
It is about service to the millions of people whom we have been
talking about. How do you feel about this transition to a
position that is all about service?
Governor O'Malley. Well, what you just laid out is what
made me excited to say ``yes,'' and I did not hesitate for an
instant. I was honored, as you mentioned, to have been able to
run for office and to serve in elected office.
But I was also--I cannot--how do I say this? I do not miss
a lot of the aspects of running for office, and I have an
enormous amount of respect for all of you who nonetheless grind
yourself through what is required: you know, the time on the
phone, the time balancing duties here and duties at home.
What excites me about this challenge is that it is all
about operations. It is all about improving customer service.
And quite honestly, after being a Mayor and being a Governor,
the one piece of it that I really truly do miss--well, there
are a couple. But one that I really, truly miss is pulling
people together around the data, the information--you know,
being in the center of the huddle, running plays, measuring
yardage, seeing if what we are doing is actually working to
improve customer service.
That is what I was able to do with a dedicated group of
people in the city of Baltimore, and that is what we did when I
was Governor. And I believe that Social Security has a much
higher velocity of change that it is capable of than what we
have seen so far.
The Chairman. Now, you get high marks for your management
record. People referred that to us again and again when they
said, ``Look at the Governor's record in terms of management.''
What do you think are your key strengths in the management
area?
Governor O'Malley. Senator, I would say that the key
strength is--you know, I have learned and I have taught in a
number of universities, courses in public administration. An
older Jesuit friend of mine said, ``You really do not know what
you know until you try to teach it a few times.''
I believe some of the most important lessons I learned as a
manager, and the things that we put into practice, involved
really bringing people together in a much more regular--every 2
weeks, every 2 weeks, every 2 weeks--cadence of accountability
and collaboration, to ask one overriding question, and that is,
are the things we are doing working or not?
If they were working, we came back 2 weeks later to try to
do more of them. If they were not working, we shifted tactics,
shifted strategies. What I have seen across the country is a
tendency that most governments have to fall into an annual
cadence called ``budget inputs.''
But once you create a winnable game with a compelling
scoreboard--and this is more important the larger the agency
is. It is amazing how people start to lean forward, how people
start to play differently, how people have a much easier time
remembering what they committed to their colleagues over the
last 2 weeks, and what they committed to do in the next 2
weeks, than they do remembering last year's budget.
So that is what I learned: bring people together every 2
weeks, every 2 weeks, measure performance, and lift up the
leaders in the eyes of their peers.
The Chairman. I like the accountability that you have
described. That is very constructive.
One last question in my round. Let's talk about reducing
overpayments. And I remember back in the days when I ran the
legal aid program for senior citizens at home, we saw how
important it was that Social Security pay the right person the
right amount at the right time, because if you do not get that
right, it causes bedlam so often in the lives of people you are
serving who are walking on an economic tightrope. And they've
got to get the amount right, because it could be rent, it could
be groceries, it could be gas.
It is imperative that Social Security get this right, and
there has been a real challenge in terms of the red tape and
the follow-through, that frankly is one of the things I like so
much about your candidacy. For example, in 2015 a bipartisan
group worked to pass legislation to create a data exchange that
would significantly reduce overpayments for seniors and
disabled folks. Eight years later--what seems like an eternity
to people who are trying to get this stuff sorted out--it is
still not online, and the longer Social Security drags its
feet, the more seniors and disabled folks are going to get
hurt.
So my question here is, if confirmed, will you give this
committee--all of us will share in on a bipartisan basis--a
concrete timetable on the system's implementation? And we would
ask that we could have that timetable for getting it done
within 30 days after you have been confirmed.
Governor O'Malley. Well, of course, Senator. There are so
many things I am looking forward to drawing myself into, but it
breaks my heart when I hear stories like the one that you just
shared from Oregon. A woman just suddenly finds she has to pay
$9,000 back, and this is somebody living on SSI.
Timely, accurate information shared by all is the key to
more effectively serving people and to higher and better
collaboration.
The Chairman. Very good.
Senator Crapo?
Senator Crapo. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
And, Governor O'Malley, I was very heartened by your opening
statement. I appreciated the fact that you candidly acknowledge
that the Social Security system is not where it ought to be in
a number of areas. You heard me outline some of them. You
outlined some of them. You have heard others today as well.
And I heard you say that you feel that there's a way to get
the Social Security Administration to perform at its peak and
best levels, and I appreciate that. You know today, in the
United States, I think that people have a feeling about
government agencies in general, not just the Social Security
Administration, but maybe the words ``government bureaucracy''
symbolize what people think. Or maybe the notion, well, that is
good enough for government work--a comment you have probably
heard before, this notion that we just are not getting
performance from, not only the Social Security Administration,
but from pretty much any government bureaucratic agency today.
We have concerns about every one of them not performing the
tasks that they need to perform and doing them efficiently and
at a high-caliber standard. If you are confirmed, what would be
your top areas of focus with respect to making sure that the
Social Security Administration performed at that peak level
that it ought to be performing at, for customer service?
Governor O'Malley. Senator, I believe the top priority is
to--as large as Social Security is, there are lagging
indicators that are pretty clear that we have to meet. But what
is not as clear are the measurements on the tactics and
strategies and actions that will drive you to the lagging
indicators.
In other words, people can gather around the table every
month and stare at the hold times on the 800 number or the
backlog and shake their heads and wag fingers, but that is not
what is going to improve it. You have to actually measure the
leading actions. In my advice that I have provided to other
Mayors and Governors across the country--you know, everybody
wants the dashboard on the end indicators.
But what we really need are leaders that bring people
together to ask the questions about whether the actions,
tactics, and strategies are driving us there. That is what we
need to do at Social Security--and I will stop there.
Senator Crapo. Well, thank you. You actually anticipated my
second question, because I was going to ask you, how do you
measure this? How are you going to measure this and get to the
objectives? I look forward to seeing how you approach this, and
maybe that can be in this 30-day report that Senator Wyden
asked you about----
The Chairman. Very good.
Senator Crapo [continuing]. To give us some ideas about
that.
For my last question, I would like to talk to you about
information technology investments. The Social Security
Administration's information technology plays a critical role
in the agency's ability to serve the public. While SSA has
taken steps to modernize its IT, there is still a lot of work
that needs to be done to reduce its reliance on legacy systems
and increase online service offerings.
If confirmed, what would be your top areas of focus with
respect to modernizing the SSA's information technology?
Governor O'Malley. Yes. Senator, we need to bring in the
best people, not only across our Federal Government--like the
U.S. Digital Service--but we need to be open to the private
sector and the things they are already doing that we can learn
from.
I will need to do a rapid assessment of systems, the
alignment of those systems. And in doing so, there are two
people who are going to be in the forefront of my mind: first,
the customer. So, a customer-centered approach: how is the
customer being served? And directly related to that, what is
the experience of the front-line worker? I have heard stories
about SSA waiting years and years for some minimal viable
product to finally roll out, only to have the workers be
demoralized and throw up their hands and say, ``This does not
work for us. It adds more time for us.''
So I am looking forward to sitting down beside those
workers. You know, one of the important things to remember as
an executive is, your job is not to have all the answers. Your
job is to listen to the people who do, at least when it comes
to the things that they do.
Related to the technology data system assessments, I think
it is really, really important to have a robust IV&V contractor
looking over the shoulder. Not somebody who is friends with the
prime, but to do the independent verification and validation,
so that we do not have the overruns, the delays.
Senator Crapo. Thank you.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you.
The Chairman. Very logical. There is not enough logic
around here. Thank you.
Senator Grassley is next.
Senator Grassley. When you came to my office, I wouldn't
ask you any ``gotcha'' questions unless I was going to do that
here. So I hope these are legitimate approaches to things.
The Social Security Administration was reestablished as an
independent agency under President Clinton. In 1994, Senator
Moynihan argued making the system an independent agency would
help ``insulate the program from partisan politics.'' I have
three questions, but just consider them as one question.
Should you be confirmed as Commissioner, will you commit to
keeping the SSA insulated from politics and not taking
positions on political issues or initiatives? I ask this
question because your predecessor was fired for politics. So
what does ``independent'' mean to you vis-a-vis your
relationship with President Biden?
Governor O'Malley. Senator, I have read, actually, the
statute that made it an independent agency. I think there has
been some creative tension between Social Security being an
independent agency operating above politics, if you will, or
without regard to the politics, and what the Supreme Court has
said is the prerogative of any elected executive to have and
appoint their own Cabinet members.
For my part, as I look at this duty, I believe first and
foremost I have a responsibility to advocate for the agency, to
advocate for the long-term health and well-being of that
agency; and second, to make sure that each member of this
committee, and indeed any member of Congress, is provided with
reliable data and accurate evidence so that you can make the
policy while, in the words of the minority leader, I make the
trains run on time.
Senator Grassley. Can I concentrate just a little bit on
that last point, your relationship with the President, being an
independent agency, as Senator Moynihan indicated?
Governor O'Malley. And, Senator, I mean, I am certainly
here because President Biden nominated me. I have known him for
many years, worked with him--and some of you--on the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act----
Senator Grassley. Well then, in light of the fact that your
predecessor was fired for politics----
Governor O'Malley. Senator, I never had met that gentleman,
and I was not involved in the administration at that time. I
received a call earlier in this year, and the White House asked
me if I would be willing to take on this big challenge, and I
said ``yes.''
I think others might be able to unpack more of the
constitutional law and the Supreme Court rulings on those
things, but I think that the head of Social Security has to
realize that she or he is heading an entity that Congress
intends to be independent, even if the Supreme Court says the
President has his prerogatives in choosing Cabinet members.
Senator Grassley. Every year, the Social Security Board of
Trustees urges lawmakers to act sooner rather than later to
shore up the trust fund. As Commissioner, what would you see as
your role in addressing Social Security's long-term solvency,
or would that be no role whatsoever, since it is up to Congress
to make the decision?
Governor O'Malley. Senator, thank you. There is an urgent
crisis that we face now of customer service, but there is one
over the horizon with regard to solvency. This is how I would
see my role in that, and that would be to be an effective
administrator, executing the will of the President of the
United States and Congress, improving services to people.
But one aspect of this job is making sure that you get the
best numbers that you can possibly get on the policy options
before you, in that solvency debate. In other words--Senator
Cassidy and I had some time to talk, and he used the analogy of
dials. He said we need to have an evidence-based conversation
about what the value of each of those dials is, as we look to
restore solvency. So policy, Senator, is your prerogative. I
would not step on that prerogative.
I will defend the agency, and most importantly, I will make
sure you get the evidence and the numbers you need to evaluate
what is best for the people over the long haul.
Senator Grassley. This will be my last question. One item
that is sorely in need of updating is the official jobs listing
that the Social Security Administration uses to determine if
there is a job in the national economy that a disability
applicant is able to perform.
The official job listing has not been updated since 1977,
and includes jobs that are obsolete in today's economy, while
omitting positions that have arisen due to advances in
technology. Before I ask my question, outside the fact that
this is 40, what 47 years since it has been updated, I do not
know how government could be that unreliable in keeping things
updated.
But as Commissioner, where would updating the official job
listing stand in your list of priorities?
Governor O'Malley. It would be a high priority, Senator. I
have read some of those stories too, people being told that
they can go get a job as a seal killer some place or those
other outrageous examples.
If you talk to somebody like, I don't know, some of these
search firms that recruit people for jobs, I am quite sure they
have a much more extensive and up-to-date list than the Federal
Government has, and I would look forward to working with you on
that. It would be a high priority.
The Chairman. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Senator Cornyn is next.
Senator Cornyn. Thank you, Governor, for being willing to
take on this challenge. If your job is to make sure the trains
are running on time, do you think it is important for us to
make sure that there is something in those cars? In other
words, Senator Grassley broached the topic of solvency in
Social Security.
According to published reports, Social Security will become
insolvent by 2033 unless Congress does something different;
Medicare will become insolvent by 2031--just to cover a few
facts with you. I am sure you are aware of all of this.
Right now, our debt-to-GDP ratio is 100 percent. We spent
$659 billion so far this year just on interest on the debt--
$659 billion just to pay interest to the bondholders in China
and Japan and elsewhere around the world. As you know,
mandatory spending, which includes Social Security and
Medicare, roughly is two-thirds of all Federal spending, so
that contributes disproportionately to the debt that I
mentioned just a moment ago.
Try as we may, trying to deal with this strictly in
discretionary spending--which is one-third of that spending,
including the 8 percent that is spent just on interest alone--
we cannot get to the balance dealing just with discretionary
spending.
Obviously, our goal should be to save Social Security and
Medicare and not cut them. You have been in politics a while.
You understand what a political football this can be, but at
some point, it seems to me that people in politics need to have
the courage to speak the truth about where we are and what
direction we are heading when it comes to Federal spending.
Right now, we are debating a supplemental appropriation
bill--the House is--for Israel, to help them defend their
country against terrorists known as Hamas. We know the
President has also requested money for Ukraine, a total of, I
think, $106 billion in supplemental appropriation request.
The President also sent us another $50-billion domestic
supplemental as well. I think you can tell the direction I am
heading here, the gist of my concerns. But unless we do
something different than we have been doing, we are heading
toward a disaster, a disaster for the seniors who depend on
Social Security and Medicare, and a disaster for our country,
because we will not have the financial ability to actually deal
with emergencies like what is happening in Israel, what is
happening in Ukraine, and other places around the world.
So do you agree with me that we are heading in a bad
direction?
Governor O'Malley. I believe the world only spins forward,
and I am an optimist, Senator. I believe if I can address
directly the Social Security aspect, I mean, I think there are
some interesting things.
Senator Cardin will recall the Medicare waiver that we
arranged for the State of Maryland. We stopped paying the
hospitals as if they were the Marriott Hotel--by how many beds
they could fill up--and we have saved the Federal Government a
billion dollars.
But to your question about Social Security, this is the
beauty of Social Security, that it is a currently funded
system. In other words, when people work, they pay into it. A
reserve has been built up, and those dollars are dedicated
there.
If you were to look at GDP and Social Security's percentage
of GDP, it has pretty much clipped along at, I think, 4
percent-ish and is not seeing those sharp spikes, that kind of
hockey stick movement that you allude to where health care is
concerned.
Senator Cornyn. Is it your understanding that current
benefits to Social Security recipients are paid out of the
trust fund or those financial transactions on the balance sheet
of the Federal Government that essentially add to the national
debt?
Governor O'Malley. No. It is my position that they are paid
by people paying into it. In other words, last year Social
Security paid out $1.24 trillion. They brought in $1.22
trillion, and then the reserve that had been built up is $2.83
trillion, so they had to tap that to make up that difference.
So, it is all well, as people anticipated in 1983 when they
created some changes to extend solvency.
Senator Cornyn. Do you know what the administration's plan
is to save Social Security?
Governor O'Malley. No, sir.
Senator Cornyn. Did you talk to the President or any of his
advisors about that in your discussions with him about this
nomination?
Governor O'Malley. Not yet. But I did read and I followed
what he said in his presidential campaign, and----
Senator Cornyn. What did you say in your presidential
campaign about Social Security?
Governor O'Malley. I said----
The Chairman. The time of my colleague has expired, and as
we said----
Senator Cornyn. I think he was getting ready to answer my
question.
Governor O'Malley. I said similar things, and, Senator, I
submitted--I am not trying to be coy. I mean, it is in the
Senate Finance questionnaire. One of the wonderful questions
they ask of somebody who has run for office is, give us
everything you have ever published or said online for the
last--since getting out of college.
So I do have my position, and I highlighted that one in the
first 20 pages that were on that Senate Finance questionnaire.
But I do have my position there, and the President's is pretty
well-known, I think, his position on solvency.
The Chairman. The time of my colleague has expired.
I would just say to colleagues on both sides of the aisle,
there was a reason that I asked the first question the way I
asked it, because this is not a position where you are supposed
to do politics. You are supposed to do service.
Senator Cornyn. You said ``politics''? Were you suggesting
my questions had to do with politics as opposed to policy?
The Chairman. I am not saying anything, other than there
was a reason I asked my question the way I asked it.
Senator Cornyn. Well, Mr. Chairman, I do not accept the
fact that you would try to censor members of the Senate asking
questions of witnesses during nomination hearings.
The Chairman. Not only--not only did I not censor my
colleague----
Senator Cornyn. I was trying to be respectful of the
Governor, and I am confident he will do a good job. I just hope
he still has a trust fund to administer.
The Chairman. Not only did I not censor my colleague, I
allowed him extra time to ask his question.
Senator Cardin, you are next.
Senator Cardin. Senator Cantwell is here.
The Chairman. Excuse me, Senator Cantwell. We missed you.
Apologies.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you. Thank you, Chair Wyden, and
congratulations on your nomination.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Cantwell. We had a chance to discuss a couple of
issues about Social Security in my office, but one of those was
about chained CPI, and the notion that sometimes people think
that a change to the formula is not a decrease in benefits. So
where are you on chained CPI?
Governor O'Malley. I believe that was a policy question
asked and answered. And if I am not mistaken, I believe that
you and Senator Mikulski were both leaders in rejecting that,
because it would diminish and weaken Social Security rather
than strengthen it for so many people.
Senator Cantwell. Well, 1.4 million people in Washington
State, or 18 percent of our population, rely on these Social
Security benefits, and I opposed in 2013 switching to that
index calculation, because it would reduce the annual cost-of-
living increase for our seniors.
And so, various times, various administrations come in and
try to propose this, and I want to make sure that I am on the
record making sure that that is not something that you would be
for.
Governor O'Malley. That is true, yes.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you so much. And you prioritized
financial responsibility during your time as Maryland Governor.
What approach do you think we need to continue to focus on
here--and you mentioned the communication, to just getting the
phones answered, and making sure that we deliver on service.
Could you expound on that?
Governor O'Malley. Sure, Senator; thank you. Social
Security is an organization that is steeped in tradition--very
large, serves people on a massive scale. They also happen to
have some of the best data and information that other partner
agencies--interagencies as well as thousands of people need to
ping off that data in order to do their business.
What Social Security has need of is a common operating
platform that allows everybody to see what is happening in the
organization. Right now, if you look at their org chart, it is
massive and it is extremely siloed.
The key to collaboration and improving customer service, as
well as efficiency, as well as staying on budget, is to break
ourselves out of 240 years of tradition that says, that is my
data, that is my budget, or information is to be hoarded, and
instead realize that you need to share information openly and
transparently.
We need to measure performance. We need to understand what
is happening where, whether we are on track or not, who is
doing it well, and who is not doing it well. So I think there
is enormous opportunity. Part of it is cultural. I do not think
it is primarily technology. I think it is many years of being
averse to risk, and many years of accepting the wisdom that we
do not share things unless we are forced to.
Senator Cantwell. So, your point though is about
efficiency, is about making sure that Social Security does a
better job at answering the phones, connecting with people
about questions, and resolving problems; is that right?
Governor O'Malley. That is right. That is the North Star.
We have to improve customer service.
Senator Cantwell. Well, I will look forward to hearing what
technology upgrades you have in mind for that. But we certainly
agree with that, and obviously all our offices deal with Social
Security issues. And if you think about it, we are dealing with
the issues that you have not dealt with, more or less.
So we would definitely appreciate understanding what
upgrades you think are necessary.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, Senator.
The Chairman. And so, the nominee knows there is nobody on
this committee who knows more about technology than Senator
Cantwell, so you will want to work with her.
Senator Cardin, you are next.
Senator Cardin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just really want
to underscore the point that Governor O'Malley's strength is in
his ability to administrate. And in response to Senator
Cornyn's inquiry, I will be interested in reading your answer
to that questionnaire, because I know how frank you have been
over your career. It is going to be an interesting read.
Let me talk a little bit about the challenges. To me, it is
similar to being Mayor of Baltimore, in that the challenges are
great, the resources are limited. There are things that you are
not going to be able to control. One is whether we pass a
budget on time, whether you are operating under a CR, whether
you deal with government shutdowns, whether you deal with
adequate resources.
These are issues that you have to deal with, and they are
not easy to explain to your workforce. You mentioned the
workforce in response to one of the questions, I think, from
Senator Crapo or Grassley. The Social Security Administration
was ranked the
second-best place to work a decade ago for an agency that size.
It is now dead last. The morale is terrible.
So you have a challenge to get the confidence of your
workforce, recognizing the challenges of implementing policies
without the resources that in some cases--as you point out, the
workforce is wondering what we are doing. So, tell me a little
bit about your experiences as a Mayor, how you were able--
because the workforce working for Baltimore at that time had
real challenges as to whether they were being appreciated.
How do you restore the morale of the workforce so that you
can meet the goals that you set for yourself on the service
levels that are critically important to me? Tell me a little
bit about how you will go about working with the workforce to
improve their spirit that they are being appreciated and a part
of the team?
Governor O'Malley. Senator, thank you. It is remarkable
that an agency that had been number 1 in employee morale would
be dead last in such a short period of time. You mentioned
external events, what I might call the whirlwind, always
outside howling at the door. That was certainly true when I was
elected Mayor of Baltimore.
And yet running to the scene of every fire, responding to
the issue of the day or the shortcoming of the day, the scandal
of the day, whatever it is, that does not move the ball down
the field. What we learned to do--and what was extremely
important to do for employee morale--was to tell people that
they actually can achieve, and to start measuring performance,
not once a year as part of the inputs of a budget, but every 2
weeks.
And it is amazing. I mean, if you have ever seen a small
group of kids on a soccer field, they play differently once you
start keeping score--not in a punitive way, but in a way that
creates a winnable game for those employees.
I have read so many stories about the numbers of employees
of Social Security who report workplace stress; people at
Social Security, so many who have gone to seek professional
help because of the anxiety and the stress they deal with;
sadly, some who have friends who committed suicide, they
believe in part because of the stress they experienced at work.
If, at Social Security, we can create routines and
disciplines where we regularly--when I say ``we,'' I mean all
of those in a leadership position in the center of that big
organization--regularly listen to the workers on the front
lines, we are going to get a lot of good ideas about things
that we can improve.
When people are actually listened to, when their word is
respected, when their experience is respected and we create a
winnable game, it has been my experience, as it was in
Baltimore, that people rise to the occasion. I mean, we
declared a 48-hour pothole guarantee shortly after I was
elected Mayor, and people were like, ``Oh, you should not do
that. They will never hit it.''
But we already knew they were hitting it in 55 hours, and
when they saw it publicly, those men and women on those work
crews rose to the occasion, and they did it. Small things done
well make bigger things possible, and one of the things the
Jesuits taught me at Gonzaga is that expectations become
behavior.
Senator Cardin. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. I thank my colleague.
Senator Casey?
Senator Casey. Mr. Chairman, thanks very much. And,
Governor, we are honored that you are willing to continue your
public service, and I will begin where you left off with the
Jesuits. They taught us a lot, and one of the things they
taught us was to try to live your life for others, and try to
be, as best you can, a servant leader.
And you have been both: a servant leader and someone who
has worked to lift our brothers. I will tell you, I have been
here a good while. I am not sure, but in the two statements by
my current colleague, Senator Cardin, and my former colleague,
Senator Mikulski, that is about as close to a canonization as I
have heard in this room. So we are grateful for all of that.
I wanted to talk about Supplemental Security Income, so-
called SSI, and what that means for people. We just had a field
hearing in Pennsylvania, in the southeastern corner of our
State, and one woman, instead of running through the policy of
SSI, just told us what it means to her. Here is what she said.
She is from York, PA.
She said this monthly benefit ``helps me pay my rent, it
helps me get transportation to work, and it helps me pay for my
groceries and things I need.'' Simple as that. That is what it
is about, and you know that. We know that there are almost 5
million people with disabilities who are SSI recipients, a huge
number of those in Pennsylvania, more than 300,000 who received
both the needed cash benefits as well as the essential Medicaid
health-care coverage.
One of the requirements for eligibility for SSI is an asset
limit of $2,000 per person. That locks people into poverty,
that asset limit. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the $2,000 asset limit, established in 1984, is now worth $662
bucks--$662, not $2,000, one-third of what it was then.
The Chairman, Senator Wyden, and I and Senator Brown of
Ohio have worked to increase the asset limit. So that is the
reality now. We are trying to increase that. But in the
meantime, one thing we can do to help here is to use an
existing opportunity for people that they may not know about.
It's called--these are called ABLE accounts. It is a result
of a law I passed years ago. It is basically a 529 plan for
people with disabilities. If you had a child who had a
disability, and her sister did not have a disability and was
saving for college, there was no way for the child with a
disability to save for her disability. Totally unfair; we
changed that.
The problem is, we do not have enough people who know about
it. So here is what I wanted to ask you--and it is about
150,000 people now who have these accounts. That is the good
news. We need to make that bigger.
If you can work with me--and I hope you can, to prioritize
working with SSA employees to learn more about ABLE accounts,
and then to ensure that they systematically inform SSI
recipients about the benefits of opening an ABLE account. Can
you work with me on that?
Governor O'Malley. Absolutely, Senator. And I have been
learning more every day about this agency and the ABLE accounts
that you pioneered, and I am looking forward to working with
you on that and improving that. It is that interaction between
the applicants and the people at SSA, I think--you know, there
is not a gigantic budget for doing television commercials, but
each of those conversations is an opportunity.
Senator Casey. Yes; thank you.
Also, on a related issue, the applications for SSI benefits
for children with disabilities have been falling in the last
decade. It has gone from about 1.4 million to a million, as you
know. Tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of
children with disabilities are not receiving services and
benefits simply because they have not applied.
There have been reports of SSI recipients who have had
their benefits incorrectly reduced or suspended altogether
because they received COVID-19 relief payments, which has put
some beneficiaries over the $2,000 asset limit I mentioned
earlier.
I am concerned that individuals eligible for SSI are not
receiving the benefits they are entitled to, and I have raised
this issue along with Senator Wyden and Senator Brown. Will you
commit to working with us to fully address the problem of
underenrollment and remove the barriers to SSI benefits for
children with disabilities?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, Senator, I will. I know that one of
the strategic goals that the agency has been following is about
making sure more outreach is done to traditionally underserved
groups. But we need to figure out why it is that, with needs
rising, so many fewer children are applying.
Senator Casey. Yes. And finally--and I am done after this--
some Americans have lost their SSI benefits due to COVID-19
relief payments, or are now receiving overpayment notices.
Governor O'Malley. That is an outrage.
Senator Casey. And we look forward to working with you to
correct that.
Governor O'Malley. Yes. As do I, Senator.
Senator Casey. Thank you, Governor.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you.
The Chairman. We are now in a situation Senator Mikulski
remembers very well, of having multiple votes, and Senators are
going to kind of be like trolley cars. We are going to be
coming in and out and back and forth. Senator Menendez is next,
then would be Senator Whitehouse, assuming that someone else
does not come ahead of them. But we hope we can get both of
them in now.
Senator Menendez?
Senator Menendez. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Governor, according to the Social Security Administration
Inspector General, during Fiscal Year 2022 the agency clawed
back $4.7 billion of overpayments, while another $21.6 billion
remains outstanding.
Now, my office has heard from constituents who rely on
Social Security who have received letters demanding money back
for overpayments made by the agency. Beneficiaries are
receiving letters stating that they must pay back thousands, or
in some cases even tens of thousands of dollars to the
government.
Some individuals are even receiving bills from SSA that
date back 40 years. Overpayments push already struggling
beneficiaries even deeper into poverty and hardship, which is
directly counterproductive to the goals of the program. So
first, we have to address the root cause of this issue. If
confirmed, do you commit to improving payment accuracy?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, sir. Yes, Senator, I do. As I have
read those stories about people in danger of losing their homes
or other financial catastrophes, it is heartbreaking. And it
reminds me of a sad truth that sometimes in government--
Federal, State, and local--there are only two speeds: on and
off.
We have to do a better job of recognizing the justice at
stake in each of these individual cases, and come back to all
of you if indeed there needs to be a change in the law.
Senator Menendez. Thank you.
If beneficiaries believe that an overpayment was not their
fault and that paying the money back would cause hardship, they
can ask SSA to waive repayment. But trying to resolve an
overpayment involves plunging into a nightmarish minefield, a
process that can last years, drain beneficiaries of their
assets, and leave them without payments for extended periods of
time.
Would you commit to making the appeals process more
equitable and accessible for beneficiaries?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, Senator. That is another big aspect
of the customer service.
Senator Menendez. Rules for beneficiaries are complex and
hard to follow. Members of the public often struggle to really
understand what they are supposed to report. I understand the
Social Security Administration is developing a program to tap
payroll data from outside sources, and that this information
can be used to automatically adjust the amounts paid to
beneficiaries.
That project was authorized by Congress nearly 8 years ago.
Can you commit to making this a priority upon your
confirmation?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, Senator.
Senator Menendez. Okay. And let me just turn to two other
questions. SSA is at its lowest staffing level in over 25
years. Some individuals are even receiving bills from SSA, as I
mentioned before, that date back 40 years. New workers need a
long time to get up to speed, and complex rules create trouble
for beneficiaries and employees alike.
Are you committed to rebuilding a robust workforce equipped
to handle these challenges?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, Senator.
Senator Menendez. And, we need to be a partner with you in
that regard?
Governor O'Malley. I will regularly update this committee,
and I look forward to partnering with you as well. Last year,
SSA hired at a record number, like 8,000 that they hired, but
the attrition rate just carved into that. So we are going to
have to do a better job of recruiting, we are going to have to
do a better job of training--and a better job of retaining
people, rather than demoralizing and making people miserable.
Senator Menendez. Agreed.
A final question, a topic that is frequently overlooked,
which is why I bring it up. When we talk about Social Security,
it is just how much undocumented immigrant workers contribute
without receiving any benefits. Numerous studies have confirmed
that through paying payroll taxes, undocumented workers
contribute billions into the Social Security funds each year.
For example, in 2016 alone, undocumented workers
contributed approximately $13 billion into the Social Security
funds, and again did not receive a single dime in benefits
after paying into the system. Given that payroll taxes account
for the lion's share of Social Security payouts each year, we
simply cannot discuss the future of Social Security without
also talking about our immigration system.
Governor, do you agree with the large body of studies
showing that the contributions of undocumented immigrant
workers have been essential to keeping our Social Security fund
solvent?
Governor O'Malley. They have certainly been a very
important piece of it.
Senator Menendez. Thank you.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you.
The Chairman. I thank my colleague.
Senator Whitehouse?
Senator Whitehouse. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and
welcome, Governor. I am delighted to see you here. I think you
are a virtually ideal nominee for this position. But what made
my day was not you being here, but Senator Mikulski, Chairman
Mikulski being here, who I adore, have occasionally been very
frightened of, but have always, always admired. To have her
back here in the Senate, where she was such a commanding and
effective presence, has been an absolute joy, has made my day.
Two things. First, I think Americans saw the State of the
Union speech, where the President called out certain
Republicans who had called for Social Security and Medicare
cuts. And, as you will recall, there was a fairly boisterous
reaction in the chamber to that, culminating in a full-on
standing ovation for the proposition that there would not be
Social Security or Medicare cuts.
So great, except that that commitment seems to be getting a
little spongy, in that in the House, Social Security and
Medicare cuts were brought up in the battle over the Speaker as
something that Republicans wanted to see in the new Speaker:
somebody who would take on Social Security and Medicare. So we
will see how that goes.
But let us presume that, what the President called the
unanimity that there would not be Social Security cuts or
Medicare cuts, holds. That then means that to make Social
Security solvent, we've got to address the revenue side. That
is essentially arithmetic.
Are you willing to help us as we design revenue-side
reinforcements for Social Security, to give us advice and
information so that we can do the best job of that?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, Senator, and in fact I think that
is my primary responsibility, not to make the policy but to
make sure that you have, as the policymakers, an evidence-based
discussion based on the best data and information from Social
Security.
There are very talented people there like Mr. Steve Goss,
the Actuary, and others. So that is how I look at my role.
Senator Whitehouse. Good.
The other thing we have seen recently has been a very
significant funding boost for the Internal Revenue Service, and
that has manifested--in the last meeting I had with the Rhode
Island Taxpayer Advocate office--in a lot better response to
individual taxpayers.
Where the Taxpayer Advocate was going to the main IRS
office and having weeks, even months of delays getting cases
addressed, even as the actual Taxpayer Advocate, now those time
periods have shortened dramatically. The Taxpayer Advocate is
turning over consumer cases more rapidly and effectively, and
the public is getting its questions answered and its problems
resolved far faster and more effectively than they were
beforehand.
I would urge you to look at that as a potential model for
what could take place within the administrative side of Social
Security, and I think there are a lot of us here who would love
to see additional resources come to you in the very same way
that we sent additional resources to the IRS, so that the
American people, who the IRS and Social Security are designed
to serve, can get quick, real, effective answers and not get
stuck up in backlogs and delays from understaffing and under-
resourcing.
So, consider that as a model that has worked. Continue to
look at it----
Governor O'Malley. Thank you. I appreciate that.
Senator Whitehouse [continuing]. To see if it continues to
work, and know that some of us would love to help you be able
to deliver the same results.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, Senator.
The Chairman. I thank my colleague.
Senator Brown, a long-time advocate for these essential
issues.
Senator Brown. Governor O'Malley, thank you for your
willingness to serve in this position. Thank you for your
commitment and your lifelong commitment, but your commitment to
change the culture at Social Security. I know I stand with the
chair on the importance of that, so thank you.
Social Security, we all understand, is a solemn promise to
the American people. People who have paid into it all their
lives deserve to know their government will protect that
promise. I hear some in this body talk about privatization. I
appreciate your standing strongly against that.
I want to ask about a concern we have heard about, and that
is Social Security overpayments to SSI beneficiaries. Senator
Wyden, Senator Casey, and I sent a letter last month to the
Acting Commissioner, asking why so many people received
overpayment notices, and what SSA will do to fix it. Ohioans
should not pay the price for the government's mistakes. I look
forward to a response to that in writing.
Part of your job would be to administer benefits accurately
and efficiently. I know there is interest from both parties on
this committee to work together to address the root causes of
overpayments. SSA has noted in previous reports that the
leading cause is the SSI asset limit, which has not been
updated, as you know, since 1984. Am I correct in understanding
this outdated asset limit is in fact the leading cause of
overpayments?
Governor O'Malley. It is a leading cause, and it is a huge
administrative burden.
Senator Brown. Okay. Well, thank you, and you will fix it.
I am working with Senator Cassidy on a bipartisan bill, as
we have talked about, the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act.
It would increase these asset limits. It would stop denying
Americans the ability to save money. The chair and I worked
together on this in an announcement. It will help people keep
their own bank accounts, have control over their futures.
Wyden, Casey, Lankford, four members of this committee all
are joining us. This 40-year-old asset limit causes errors, it
is difficult to administer. It represents only 4 percent of
total benefits, but it requires 30 percent of your
administrative budget. Am I correct in understanding that first
raising it and updating for inflation would reduce the costly
and burdensome workload for SSI and free up valuable resources
for other work?
Governor O'Malley. From what I have read and talking to
experts on this and people who have studied it all their lives,
it seems to be a pretty widespread belief that that bicameral
and bipartisan leadership of yours would absolutely not only be
the right thing to do for the recipients, the right policy, but
would also reduce the huge administrative burden that Social
Security has to go through, without any really good reason.
As you know, it was not indexed back then, and I applaud
you for that bill and Senator Cassidy and the other members of
the Senate, who seem to, on some of these Social Security
issues, really be striking that sort of can-do, cooperative
spirit that all of us like to see here in our Nation's capital.
Senator Brown. Thank you, Governor. As you point out, as we
all point out, it has been 40 years.
Next question is about the SSI application. The current
application is 23 pages long, full of complex legalese, and
requires rules and supporting documents. The worst part is that
in the year 2023, it cannot be completed online.
It is obvious and critical that we ensure that only people
who are eligible actually receive benefits, but anyone who has
interacted with that system will tell you it is way too
complicated for any one person to navigate. You should not need
a law degree to successfully get SSI.
What steps will you take to simplify and streamline that
application process, to ensure that it is accessible to people
who are eligible?
Governor O'Malley. Senator, thank you. One of the top
orders of business will be to understand that process, and
understand it from the standpoint of the customer, the person,
the beneficiary.
I can foresee kind of side-by-side lists of things that can
be done through regulation, things that can be done with
changes in management, things that could be done better in
terms of submission of documentation. And some things, if they
require a change in law, I will not hesitate to come back to
you and others who are so interested in this really important
issue.
So it would be a high priority, and I look forward to
working with you and your able staff on this.
Senator Brown. Thank you, Governor. Again, I am thrilled
that you agreed to take this job. I know you have a lifelong
career in public service that leads me to think, one, you know
what you are doing, you can make things happen, and your
empathy for others is front and center, and that is what we
need in the Social Security administrator.
One more thing that is important, just to comment. It is
important to remember that eligibility does not always
guarantee access.
Governor O'Malley. That is right.
Senator Brown. Millions of Americans are eligible, tens of
millions of Americans, tens and tens of millions of Americans,
but not all of them have access. Your job is to close that gap.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, Senator.
The Chairman. All right.
Senator Young, you are next.
Senator Young. Thanks for being here today, Governor.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you.
Senator Young. I really appreciate your presence. I am
grateful for the service you have given to the public.
Governor, I shared these concerns with you when we met a
couple of months ago, but to be frank, I am deeply troubled
with the Biden administration's action to remove the previous
Social Security Administration Commissioner Andrew Saul from
office, in order to appoint someone who more closely aligns
with President Biden's political ideology.
This is the sort of smashmouth politics that when
campaigning for President, President Biden more than intimated
that he would not engage in, and it undermines trust among at
least half of America in how our government is run.
So I plan to spend my time today, I think you will find
blessedly, understanding what your priorities for the SSA would
be if you are confirmed. But I want to be up-front that I do
have serious concerns about the way in which that situation was
handled, how you were nominated, and the implications it has
for the ability of the Social Security Administration to
administer benefits going forward, when the agency is subjected
to this type of politicization.
So, moving on, as you are no doubt aware, Governor, the
Social Security Administration has struggled to retain and to
hire the appropriate workforce. Additionally, the
administration has had some challenges getting individuals to
return to the office. A recent testimony released by the agency
highlights that most field office employees report onsite at
least 3 days a week. However, my office has repeatedly heard
from constituents who are unable to receive the in-person help
that is necessary to address their outstanding casework issues.
So, Governor, what are your views on telework as it applies
to SSA and its workforce?
Governor O'Malley. Yes. My views on telework have been
overall--public sector/private sector, ever since the pandemic
when we were all told suddenly ``go home and do your best to
work from home''--that sort of adversity put stresses on a lot
of organizations.
Fortunately for some aspects of SSA, they had already been
piloting some telework, but it threw a huge challenge up for
administrators. The main test for whether we have staffing
right in the field offices is whether people who want face-to-
face meetings can get them.
I do not believe it is all about the telework, although I
do not think anybody in the private sector would tell you that
they feel like they have gotten it quite right yet either. So
we need to strive for that balance, with the test being that
people can get meetings.
I mean, for example, in your State you have suffered 22
percent loss in SSA staff in Indiana. So, whether somebody is
going to an office in Fort Wayne or Indianapolis, that is like
one out of five people just are not there. It is not about them
teleworking; the positions are not filled.
Similarly, your disability determination, we bemoan the
long time that takes. But you have seen an erosion of about 20
percent in your State's DDS, those State employees who are
reimbursed by the Federal Government. So we need to do three
things all at once. We assess this with that North Star of
people being able to get meetings face to face when they need
them. We need to strike a better balance. We need to hire more
people more quickly. We need to retain the people we have. And
we need to speed up a few other things like training as well.
Senator Young. Have you established some goals, some
metrics; for example, we should retain people for certain
average amounts of time, you know, benchmarked against previous
terms of service? People should be able to land an in-person
appointment within X or Y days of requesting one during
different times of the year? Do you have some metrics laid out
for this?
Governor O'Malley. I have some of my imagination, but I
have not quite--because I am not there, I cannot do more than
read a lot of the public documents.
Senator Young. But this is something I presume----
Governor O'Malley. But that is where we would go. I found
in leading a State and leading a city, the best ideas in terms
of leading actions, tactics, strategies came from listening to
the people, repeatedly, who are on the front lines doing that
work, and that is what we will get.
The lagging indicators, I think, are pretty clear. I mean,
we have rattled off today how long it takes to get a disability
determination, and people being on hold for 37 minutes to get
their phone calls answered are clearly two high-opportunity
targets for us to improve.
Senator Young. Disability is a major issue for my
constituents. I will submit a question for the record--because
I know I have colleagues waiting--about the amount of time. I
have constituents from Greensburg, IN in particular who have
had some challenges. So thank you.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, Senator.
The Chairman. I thank my colleague.
Just a quick point. The Senator from Indiana knows that I
always, very much enjoy working with him. On this point, with
respect to the right to name an individual, we can give you all
the Supreme Court cases on this, and there have been two.
The Court has decided in effect, whether you like somebody
or dislike somebody in this position, the President has the
ability to nominate the person they want. And I will share the
cases with colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Senator Hassan?
Senator Hassan. Thanks very much, Mr. Chair and Ranking
Member Crapo. Thank you both for the hearing. Governor, it is
good to see you. Thank you for your interest in this position.
Thank your family too for supporting you throughout a
distinguished career in public service.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you.
Senator Hassan. I am going to ask you about something you
have already been asked about, because it is really important
to my State, my constituents. I am deeply concerned about the
burden placed on individuals when the Social Security
Administration works to recoup payments that the agency made
because of its own errors.
So, it obviously can cause real financial harm to
beneficiaries. We have constituents who are reaching out all
the time to share that they are struggling to make ends meet
because SSA has unexpectedly and drastically reduced their
benefits, sometimes by hundreds of dollars a month.
As the agency works to recoup overpayments--and sometimes
they are working to recoup overpayments, and they are in error
about the need to do that. It is their own mistake. So, if
confirmed, will you commit, Governor, to continuing efforts to
minimize the agency errors that lead to these problems for
beneficiaries, including my constituents in the Granite State?
Governor O'Malley. I will certainly commit to that,
Senator. It has been heartbreaking, reading some of these
stories. People, through no fault of their own, face what in
essence looks like a mandated collection agency without regard
to the equities and what people are facing. So I will
absolutely prioritize that and look forward to working with you
on it.
Senator Hassan. Thank you.
Earlier this year, The Washington Post reported that
Federal judges are seeing an alarming rate of agency error in
the Social Security disability benefits determination process.
According to agency data, Federal judges have found agency
error in nearly 6 in 10 disability benefit cases brought before
them for appeal, and that is obviously unacceptable. Because of
agency errors, vulnerable individuals who are unable to work
unnecessarily face delayed benefits, and some incur really
costly legal fees as they navigate the appeals process. So how
will you work to improve the disability benefits determination
process, and will you work to fix the high error rate, if
confirmed?
Governor O'Malley. Yes. In a nutshell, there is a lot that
can be learned about those opinions that happen at the very end
of that big funnel. There are fewer people who make it to a
Federal court. Some accept a denial at the first level, but
others appeal. It can go on forever.
What we need to do a better job of doing is creating a
feedback loop between those adjudications and the training
lessons that can emerge from identifying patterns and repeated
situations, instead of just shrugging our shoulders that there
is nothing we can do about it.
Senator Hassan. Thank you.
One of my priorities as chair of the Emerging Threats and
Spending Oversight Subcommittee is reducing Federal agencies'
reliance on really costly and aging technology. So I am pleased
by the SSA's steady progress to eliminate some of its outdated
technologies to save taxpayer dollars and better serve
beneficiaries.
How will you continue this progress and leverage technology
modernization to improve customer experience at the Social
Security Administration?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, Senator, thank you. The Social
Security Administration is such a large entity, and yet they
tend to be somewhat--in my reading and from what little I know,
they tend to be somewhat insular in their approach to
technology.
So I plan on--if I am fortunate enough to earn the trust
and be confirmed, I plan to open that up more and especially
bring in some of the top people we have in our own Federal
Government, for starters, from United States Digital Service;
do a systems assessment; and also listen, talk with the workers
who actually have to depend on these systems.
Some of them, as they have told you as well, they have to
shift between closing down and opening up 16 different screens
in order to do their job. It should not be that way. So we are
going to bring in people from U.S. Digital Service, we are
going to do a top-to-
bottom review, and we are most importantly going to put the
customer in the center of the equation and listen to our
workers.
Senator Hassan. Well, I appreciate that. And I would just
make the point to you and to my colleagues that one of our
challenges in modernizing IT throughout the Federal Government
is that urgent always crowds out the important in some of these
situations.
We really need to not only invest money, but make it a
priority across agencies, and I look forward to working with
you on that.
Governor O'Malley. And I with you. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Crapo [presiding]. Thank you.
Senator Blackburn?
Senator Blackburn. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And, Governor,
welcome. We appreciate that you are here.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, and thank you for our time on
the phone.
Senator Blackburn. First--oh absolutely.
Governor O'Malley. It is a stressful time in the world and
in the Nation.
Senator Blackburn. Well, it is a busy time, but every day
is a busy time.
Looking back through your experiences in your career, what
do you think is the most relevant piece of experience you have
that you will transfer into leading the SSA?
Governor O'Malley. I believe the most relevant piece is my
ability to apply principles of performance management in ways
that improve customer service and also build up employee
morale. So it is really about my experience as a manager and,
in particular, performance management applied to large
organizations.
Senator Blackburn. I appreciate that.
Talk to me a little bit. You know, you've got 60,000
employees over there. The agency obviously needs to go through
some reform and right-sizing, and making certain that you have
the right people in the right seats, basically. We need to make
certain that seniors who have a question can get to somebody to
talk to.
So how are you going to handle those personnel issues--and
then, following on to what Senator Hassan said, with IT and the
management there--the cybersecurity, the data security, so that
people know their data is not going to be compromised or hit?
We have had an issue with some data breaches in Federal
Government data bases. I look at that all as one thing: the
human capital, the technology for them to appropriately use. So
talk a little bit about your approach there.
Governor O'Malley. Sure. SSA underwent a big effort to hire
last year, with your authorizations, and they actually did hire
more people in one year than they ever had before. It was
decentralized rather than centralized, and that was a good
thing, except that they lost a lot of people by attrition. So,
we have to ramp up those efforts.
In terms of leadership and making sure the right people are
in the right places, people are going to self-select. Once we
create a winnable game--we have clear goals, we have strategies
and tactics that we start measuring every 2 weeks--the leaders
will rise. In my experience, I saw that happen in a very
moribund bureaucracy in 1999, in a municipality, and I saw the
same thing across a State government.
Finally, on the issue of technology--you know, one of the
things we have not talked on too much today yet, that you are
alluding to, is fraud in the sense of identity theft.
There are many aspects of fraud. Sometimes it can be
bribing a Social Security employee, sometimes it can be a
representative taking money from their charge in Nashville or
any other city. But there is a real need to not think of these
as separate silos, but to integrate the fraud detection and the
cybersecurity to more readily and quickly identify the
anomalies and patterns--before a movie producer does.
Senator Blackburn. Well, you are precise on that, and that
is why some of us have been pushing for an online consumer
privacy bill--that front-facing part that consumers are going
to deal with on the privacy, on that access issue--but then
also on the back-
facing, when you are looking at the cyber issues and detecting
those breaches.
One other question I have for you: you've got the solvency
issue--2034 the fund runs out. The trustees have been very up-
front about this. So, what is your first-step plan to address
the solvency, because it has not been addressed?
Governor O'Malley. That is right. And, Senator, you and I
spoke about this a little bit. I would hope in the months ahead
we talk about it more.
I would never tread on the trust that the people have given
you to be the policymaker. Having said that, I do believe I can
help raise the level of trust in the country by raising
customer service, and I mean the quality of the customer
service.
I mean, how are your constituents going to support you in
making tough decisions about solvency, all of you together, if
their phone calls do not get answered? But secondly, the agency
has a responsibility to make sure that you get answers to your
questions in terms of what the dials of those policy levers are
worth.
How much is it if we made this change? If we made that
change, what does that do for solvency? What is the impact of
another policy considered? And that is what I have to focus on
for all of you. As Senator Cassidy said to me, we need to have
an evidence-based discussion about the realities and what each
of the values of these various dials is.
Senator Blackburn. That is exactly right, and we will
depend on you for that.
My time has expired. Thank you so much.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Crapo. Thank you.
Senator Cortez Masto?
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you. I want to thank both Chair
Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo for this conversation today.
Most importantly, I want to thank you, Governor, for your
willingness to step up and serve in this important position.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Cortez Masto. I also thank you for the opportunity
to sit down with you and talk with you. Great to see your
family here. It's wonderful. We are almost done. Everybody can
go get some lunch.
But let me just say this. I have been listening to my
colleagues. Of course, in Nevada, there are what, over 570,000
Nevadans who get benefits from Social Security, right? Customer
service is key. What I hear from you today is that you are
committed to ensuring that you are improving upon and fixing
and addressing some of the customer concerns that we are all
hearing in our States, and going to make it a priority; is that
correct?
Governor O'Malley. That is correct.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you.
I also heard today--and I heard Senator Mikulski speak
very, very highly of you. A couple of things I picked out
though, which you just addressed, were you do have a history of
using performance management and customer service technologies
to improve government function as it connects with
constituents; correct?
Governor O'Malley. That is true. Customer service,
performance management--they have been kind of my wishbone
offense of service in any of my executive tours of duty.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you.
And then, I also picked up on Senator Young--and I think
Senator Brown mentioned this as well: people with disabilities.
In Nevada, including in my own family, there are challenges
with getting the benefits in a timely fashion, and it should
not be that hard. It should not be that complex for individuals
to reach out to that system and receive that support in a
timely way.
It matters when you are disabled and you need that help.
So, if confirmed, can I get your commitment to work to ensure
that families can access their SSI benefits without having to
navigate those burdensome and overly complex enrollment
processes?
Governor O'Malley. SSDI, SSI, all of those, both--and yes,
Senator, you have my commitment.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you.
And then, like my colleagues, again I think we all are
concerned about ensuring the integrity of the trust fund, the
Social Security trust fund, long-term, beyond 2033. I also know
that part of ensuring and safeguarding it is to address some
fraud, waste, and abuse that will happen, and that is where you
will come in.
Can you talk a little bit about it? You were talking about
it with Senator Blackburn, about both the fraud and
cybersecurity. What are your thoughts there on how we can
safeguard that fund from any type of that, either that fraud or
the waste?
Governor O'Malley. There is an enormous amount of
information that Social Security has, that Social Security
collects. I am not talking just about individual Social
Security numbers and earnings and the way we are able to share
all that with thousands and thousands of other people, banks,
voter registration, and other folks.
But if we can take that information and turn it into a
dynamic picture that all of us can see, one is better able to
get in front of emerging anomalies that could lead
investigators to discover fraud, to discover abuse. What I mean
by that is that oftentimes, when we go after waste, fraud, and
abuse, there is a sense that well, you put it over there in
that department or with that IG and you hope that it does not
make any embarrassing headlines.
But in creating an operational picture that everybody can
see--and yes, on a map--you can start to look at things like,
why is it that in that particular hearing office, you are
seeing an emerging hot spot of, let us say a wait time, or why
are you seeing such a dramatic speed that does not exist
anywhere else? Is that waste, fraud, or abuse? Is that an
extremely talented person? Is something else going on?
So, it is the ability to have the eyes for fraud and waste
and abuse at that operational table, not long after the fact
that somebody has received an anonymous tip on the tip line,
but to see those emerging patterns that should alert any
investigator to get on that right away.
I think that there is a lot of low-hanging fruit, if you
will, to be identified.
Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you, I appreciate that.
And then finally--it is not something that you have control
over, but I would hope we all continue to push for Senator
Brown's Social Security Fairness Act. It repeals the Windfall
Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. It is
kind of--it really is crazy to me that we have workers in our
communities who have earned these benefits, and then lose out
on them because of some sort of pension offset. They have
earned it; they are entitled to the funds. So I am hopeful that
we can get that legislation passed.
Thank you.
Senator Crapo. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Daines?
Senator Daines. Chair Crapo, thank you. Governor O'Malley,
good to see you. I enjoyed our conversation we had back in
September on the phone.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you for making the time for me.
Senator Daines. Absolutely.
Governor O'Malley. And you have a beautiful State.
Senator Daines. I agree with you.
I want to read a quote. ``Today, Social Security is strong.
But by 2032, the trust fund will be exhausted and Social
Security will be unable to pay the full benefits older
Americans have been promised.''
Now, one might think that quote came from the CBO last
week, last month. Maybe it came from the Social Security
Administration study recently. That quote is 24 years old. In
fact, I am quoting President Bill Clinton's 1999 State of the
Union speech. Unfortunately, we are still on track toward that
same projection more than 2 decades after President Clinton
made those remarks.
Earlier this summer, the CBO published their long-term
projections on the Social Security trust fund's financial
outlook, and I think calling the outlook bleak is probably
optimistic. We are just 10 years away from insolvency. By 2033,
the Social Security trust fund will be depleted and unable to
pay out full benefits.
This means there will be an immediate cut to Social
Security benefits across the board in 10 years unless Congress
acts. And it is not just individuals in their 20s, their 30s,
their 40s facing these benefit cuts once they hit retirement
age. Today, if you are 57 years old, when it comes time to
receive your Social Security benefits at 67, you will get a
check 25-percent less than what you have earned.
These cuts do not take into account need, age, and income
level. Every single individual receiving Social Security will
have a guaranteed benefit cut no matter their circumstances.
Establishing the Social Security Administration as an
independent agency was designed to restore public trust, but I
can tell you, speaking on behalf of Montanans, they have never
been less certain about the future of Social Security and their
benefits.
Governor, if you are confirmed as Commissioner, what steps
will you take to restore the public trust in this program and
build some bipartisan consensus? Because we all know up here,
this is going to have to be a bipartisan exercise toward the
reforms needed to save and, better yet, strengthen Social
Security for my children, grandchildren, and frankly my peers.
Governor O'Malley. Well, Senator, you have articulated the
challenges facing us very, very well. One aspect of restoring
trust from the general public, people in Montana, people
waiting for a disability determination from an office that has
seen a 30-percent reduction in staff, is to do a better job on
answering the phone and providing those determinations in a
more timely fashion. That is where I am going to be throwing
the vast majority of my daily energies.
But the other big crisis is that crisis of solvency, and we
are fortunate in the Senate that there seems to be a spirit
still alive for what might be called that spirit of moderation,
that understanding that the toughest problems require some
coming together.
We have seen that with Senator Cassidy's bill, with Sherrod
Brown about raising the asset limits. So I see my job as
supporting you in doing yours. You are the policymakers, and my
job is to make sure that you get the best data, the best
evidence, and the best information from the actuaries, so that
you men and women can reach that precious consensus that
everyone in America is trusting that you will.
Senator Daines. Governor, thanks. I am certain we will rely
on you and your input, not just in delivering better customer
service, which of course is Mission 1 here, assuming you are
confirmed. But I think we are going to need to be able to
juggle at least a couple of balls here and look over the long
haul in getting your thoughts coming from the agency as well,
because we are going to have to figure this out together----
Governor O'Malley. Yes sir.
Senator Daines [continuing]. To make this trust fund
solvent and avoid this cliff that we are rapidly approaching.
So, Governor, thank you for your thoughtful comments. We look
forward to working with you.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Crapo. Thank you.
Senator Carper?
Senator Carper. Yes. Thanks. From one recovering Governor
to another recovering Governor, welcome to the Finance
Committee. Thank you for your willingness to serve our country
in yet another important role.
I was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives--I had
been a State Treasurer for a number of years, a Naval flight
officer before that. But I was elected to the Congress in 1982,
and there were a bunch of us. I mean, I think that we had a
freshman class of maybe 80, almost 100 people; a lot of
Democrats, a lot of Republicans.
And the first week or so that we were in office, I think my
recollection is we got on a train--I don't think we flew--but I
think we got on a train and we went to Harvard, all the newly
elected House members. The idea was to get to know each other
and the idea was to try to begin focusing on some of the big
issues of the day.
One of the big issues of the day was that the Social
Security trust fund was running out of money. One of the first
issues that I worked on as a young House member was Social
Security availability, to make sure that it was going to be
there for future generations.
One of my favorite sayings is, ``find out what works, and
do more of that.'' And as we visit, revisit the same issue here
all these years later, that might be a good thing to do. Among
the things that worked was, we decided not to make it a
partisan issue. We decided to make it a bipartisan issue.
And there were Democrats and Republicans who stood up and
said there is not one silver bullet, there are a lot of
different things that we have to do and need to do, and we did
most of those. The key was leadership. We had leadership from
the President at the time. We had strong leadership from the
Democrat and Republican leaders in the House and the Senate. We
had great leadership on the committees of jurisdiction as well.
So, I am delighted that we, as recovering Governors, may be
in a position to come back and help us address this issue
again. We have a number of members of this committee, Democrat
and Republican. One of the key members is a fellow from
Louisiana. He is a doctor, but he is pretty good on these
issues and not afraid to be courageous on these issues.
So I would--with that having been said, I have a statement
here, but I just would rather talk from my heart. And sometimes
I get in trouble doing that, but I would rather talk from my
heart. I have a question though that my staff was good enough
to give me.
If confirmed, how do you plan to expand interagency
coordination to improve the Social Security Administration's
customer service and response times? As Governor, you had a
State pension; you had probably a bunch of pension plans in
your State for State employees and others that you were sort of
responsible for, ultimately.
And one of the things that I focused on as Governor was
trying to make sure that when somebody was calling our Division
of Revenue about tax issues, that somebody got on the phone and
helped them; when somebody who was calling the pension office,
the State pension office in Newark and had questions about it,
that somebody got on the phone and helped them. And we actually
were very practical.
The record at the Social Security Administration for
customer service is not good. My first question then would be,
how do you plan to expand interagency coordination to improve
the Social Security Administration's customer service and
response times?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, Senator, thank you for your
question. And the key is going to be to snap Social Security
out of what has been a long time-honored practice of contenting
itself with annual accountability, like a budget and the annual
budget inputs. And instead, we have to get into a much faster
velocity, a much more agile speed of bringing about the changes
that we all know need to happen so that people get their phone
calls answered and they get their face-to-face meetings when
they need them--and that, for a member of their family or
themselves who is going through a disability determination,
that they do not die waiting for it to be resolved if they have
to appeal it.
There is no single magic solution to that. But it has been
my experience, both as a Mayor and as a Governor, that if you
bring people together and you are clear about what the big
goals are, it is amazing the way the leaders will rise when you
start measuring yardage, when you have a compelling scoreboard
that everybody can see. And it is really about big
organizations learning from their own leaders. I mean, if you
were to plot on a----
Senator Carper. I am going to interrupt you. I have a
couple of other questions. Let me just ask, have you ever heard
the name Danny Werfel?
Governor O'Malley. I have. You told me to meet with him,
and I did.
Senator Carper. Good, good, good. One, you know, he is new.
He is the new IRS Commissioner, and one of the things--he sat
right here where you are sitting, and we talked about the lousy
service the IRS was providing.
Governor O'Malley. It's getting better.
Senator Carper. And about 2 years ago, if a taxpayer called
the IRS, I think there was like a 13-percent chance of anybody
getting on the phone to actually take the call. Last year, it
was about up to 87 percent, and a big part of it was the
leadership--the leadership. If confirmed--and I sure hope you
will be--you are in a great position to provide that
leadership. So I would just say now, be strong--and I know you
will be.
The thing I started to say is, I believe in the golden
rule: treat other people how you want to be treated. And when
people call and are asking for help--I do not care whether it
is a personal issue or it is a Social Security issue, it is a
tax issue--we've got to help them, okay?
The second thing I want to mention is, we have a propensity
to send out the improper payments from the Federal Government,
improper payments, and I think GAO estimated, their estimate
now is there are about $247 billion--billion dollars with a B--
in improper payments across the entire Federal Government for
Fiscal Year 2022, just one year--one year.
As elected officials, one of the most important
responsibilities, of course, is to be good stewards of
taxpayers' dollars. A couple of years ago, 2020 in fact, the
Congress passed something called the Stopping Improper Payments
to Deceased People Act, and it is a bill that Senator John
Neely Kennedy and I partnered on. The law requires the Social
Security Administration to share its full file of death
information with the Do Not Pay working system for a 3-year
period beginning December 27, 2023. That is this December 27,
2023.
I would ask--you may not be able to answer this for the
record. But if confirmed, will you commit to working with our
staffs--not just Senator Kennedy and myself, but our staffs
broadly--to ensure that the Stopping Improper Payments to
Deceased People Act is implemented--not overnight, not in a
week or in a month, but in a timely way?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, Senator. And I appreciate your
leadership on that issue: open, transparent data shared by all.
Senator Carper. Thank you.
I think I have time to go for another one. Here we go. This
deals with morale and employee retention at the Social Security
Administration. Strengthening the Federal workforce, retaining
high-quality talent in Federal agencies is a big concern of
mine, and I am sure it will be of yours.
It is critical that our Federal workforce is well-trained.
It is critical they be equipped to handle the challenges in the
next decade and beyond. The Office of Personnel Management's
Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey is conducted every year. It
evaluates job satisfaction among Federal workers, as you may
know. In 2022, the Social Security Administration was ranked
among the lowest Federal agencies included in that survey--
lowest.
My question would be, if confirmed, what do you think you
would do? What would you be inclined to do from Day 1, maybe
drawing on some of your earlier experiences, Governor, to
improve morale among Federal workers at the Social Security
Administration and to enhance retention and recruitment efforts
at that agency? Please.
Governor O'Malley. Senator, thank you. I look forward to
rolling up my sleeves and working with and being among and with
the hardworking men and women at the Social Security
Administration. I have not had as many conversations as I will
have, if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed by this
committee.
But I am looking forward to actually listening to them. My
sense, from the people I have spoken to, is that it has been a
long time since they have had leaders who would actually listen
to what they are experiencing on the front lines in doing the
work. That is why you have a record year in terms of new hires,
and at the same time a record year of attrition.
People at SSA have historically really had a high sense of
mission, a high sense of purpose. The fact that they would sink
to the lowest morale in the Nation, I think says a lot more
about the lack of leadership there than it does about some sort
of sea change or something in the water among the employees.
So I am looking forward to being an operational leader, to
being among and with and lifting up the leaders in the eyes of
their peers, measuring performance, so that that organization
can learn from its highest performers.
When you do that, you create a winnable game for people.
They want to come to work. They want to encourage their friends
to apply to work there, and that is what we need to get back
to. It will not happen overnight, but it does require
leadership. And I promise you, Senator, I will throw myself
into this challenge with 1,000 percent of what I've got.
Senator Carper. Good. I am sure you will.
Mr. Chairman, I have known this man since he was like too
young to get into O'Friel's Irish Pub in Wilmington, DE. He was
part of an Irish singing group that was actually quite
extraordinary.
Governor O'Malley. So you were in the pub?
Senator Carper. I was--well, checking IDs at the door, and
that is how we met. [Laughter.]
Governor O'Malley. All right.
Senator Carper. Ever since then, and from then till now,
who would have thought we would have traveled these different
paths? But I am glad your path is taking you here today, and I
am delighted to support your nomination. Thank you.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Crapo. Thank you.
And, Governor, let me give you a quick update. The update
is, you are getting close to the end.
We, as you have seen--oh, actually, I was going to say the
chairman is on his way back. We have had Senators going in and
out, voting, and it looks like we are getting to the end of
that. But we have Senator Cassidy next, and then, unless
someone else shows up, Mr. Chairman, you are up.
The Chairman. I have one last question, and it will be
short. So, have you recognized Senator Cassidy?
Senator Crapo. Not yet; go ahead.
The Chairman. Oh; Senator Cassidy?
Senator Cassidy. Thank you. Hey, Mr. O'Malley. I enjoyed
our meetings.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you for making the time. I enjoyed
it as well.
Senator Cassidy. Thank you for that.
One of the issues that I have been concerned with is that
after the pandemic, there was a lot of telework that continued,
and it is unclear to me that there are processes in place by
which people's activities are actually monitored, that their
productivity is noted to be strong.
I know that the labor unions want to continue telework, and
I know that the Biden administration is trying to get people
back to work. My office took a picture of another agency, not
yours, but another agency's parking lot on a Monday morning at
10, and you could cut wheelies in it. There were like no cars
there.
The American people, I think, are like looking at that,
scratching their heads and saying, you know, is anything
happening, and they are surmising not. What would be your
attitude to continue telework should you be appointed or
confirmed?
Governor O'Malley. Yes. Senator, the litmus test for
knowing when we have the balance right is whether people can
get their meetings face to face in the field offices, and when
they can get their phone calls answered. So we need to do a
better job of staffing those field offices. People in the
public sector and private sector, because of the pandemic,
have----
Senator Cassidy. Now let me ask, because staffing could
either mean hiring more people or asking people to actually
show up there, so they are there to take the meeting.
Governor O'Malley. Well, it is a combination of both. The
field offices--as I understand it, people are required to be in
those field offices.
Senator Cassidy. Now what about the DC office, because that
appears to be--just speaking to the Mayor, listening to the
Mayor of Washington, speaking to the administration--it is
actually people actually showing up for work, physically
showing up for work in DC that has become a real sticking
point.
Governor O'Malley. I have not spent a whole lot of time in
the Washington office, Senator, to be able to tell you. But I
do know that in order to run a big organization like this, the
people in the center, that circle, have to be tight, they have
to be talking every day, and it is really hard to do that if
people are not in.
Senator Cassidy. Now, in our interview, in our conversation
which we had, one thing I was impressed by is how you put
online metrics when you were Governor and Mayor, that would
allow the people of Baltimore and the people of Maryland to
actually see the performance of your various agencies.
And people said, ``Oh, you cannot do this.'' And you did
it, and it worked out very well. Would you commit, if you are
confirmed, to developing metrics to make sure that anyone
working--one is, getting people back to work, but two, if they
continue to telework, have metrics that would be posted online,
so that the people of the United States could actually see the
metrics showing that people are actually doing work?
Governor O'Malley. Yes, sir. That will not happen
overnight, but that is what we are going to get to. I believe
the first precept, first tenet of the system of performance
management I was taught is timely, accurate information shared
by all. That means all of us--not just managers, not just
workers, but the people who pay for it, the people of the
United States.
Senator Cassidy. That would be good, because right now it
seems as if it is unaccountable. And I feel like I am
channeling the people from Lake Charles, LA and any other place
in our State or our Nation----
Governor O'Malley. Right.
Senator Cassidy [continuing]. Where every time they do not
get a phone call answered, they are wondering if somebody is on
their couch watching soap operas.
Governor O'Malley. Yes, and it is tough. In your State--I
mean, if you look at pre-pandemic, we have seen, just on SSA
staff in Louisiana, a 24-percent reduction in staff. This is
not teleworking staff, just 24 percent fewer. In the DDS
determination--we have had some time here talking about that
long process--you have seen a 20-percent reduction in your
State's DDS office.
So, we've got a lot of work to do on morale, on
accountability, on collaboration and coordination, hiring and
retention. But at the end of the day, if we do a better job of
serving customers, we are going to do a better job of holding
on to our people.
Senator Cassidy. Let me ask you this. SSA's own research
has shown that if we change some of the terminology of how
people refer to retirement, it would greatly increase
retirement literacy, especially for those who are less educated
and more vulnerable.
For example, update the term ``early retirement'' to
``minimum benefit age,'' or ``normal retirement age'' with
``standard benefit age,'' and ``delayed retirement credit'' to
``maximum benefit age.'' Now, studies show this works. We have
asked SSA to let us do this, and they want $12 million to
replace nine words on their websites, even though these
regularly undergo updates. So why do you need $12 million to do
that which you regularly do?
They also say that this may confuse Americans, the updated
wording. Now, my wife just started taking Social Security, if I
may hint at my wife's age, and that was our first time to
really go on the website. So, even if the people who are
already on it, who I suspect never go to the website, would be
confused, most Americans are yet to be on it.
So I guess I am asking you to go into this and ask
questions. Why do you need $12 million to do that which you are
already doing? Why don't we listen to our own studies, and why
don't we benefit everybody who is going to be coming in, and
ideally will be choosing their maximum benefit age as opposed
to something which implies that they are going to get less? Are
you with me on that?
Governor O'Malley. I am with you on it, Senator. I look
forward to working with you on that. Sometimes we can do
analysis to paralysis, and sometimes under the name of avoiding
risk, we also avoid changes that would make a program a lot
more effective.
If I may also say, I want to compliment you on what you and
Senator Brown did with regard to SSI. It is in the weeds.
Probably a lot of people do not appreciate it, but raising the
asset limit so that people are not penalized for saving--and
also what that would do to remove the marriage penalty--I just
want to compliment you for that, as well as for your thoughtful
leadership on solvency and the bipartisan spirit that you bring
into those issues.
Senator Cassidy. I thank you for that. Our goal is--by the
way, all these questions are not to bust the chops of the guy
who might be the SSA guy, the Commissioner, but to try and make
the program work better for our fellow Americans.
Governor O'Malley. Right.
Senator Cassidy. If we can do that, we have done our job.
But thank you. I appreciate it.
I yield.
Governor O'Malley. Thank you, Senator.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Cassidy. And we've got to
get your good bill passed too, so we will go to work on that.
We are about at the end of the line here, Governor. I want
to ask one other question about disability rights, because I
remember when I ran the legal aid for the senior citizens, the
disability office was sort of right down the corridor.
And we have a million, 1.1 million people waiting for a
decision on disability. The average wait time is 217 days. A
lot of factors going on, but clearly staffing shortages are
key. Now, the reason I am asking this question is, you are a
smart guy and a management guy, and it looks to me like there
some resources right in front of us that we can move ahead
with.
For example, there is the State Disability Determination
Service, where State employees can evaluate disability claims
on behalf of SSA. Now, this looks like a perfect opportunity
for Federal-State teamwork--just as you say, Martin O'Malley,
Mr. Can-Do, you know, let's get this done.
Now, Social Security covers the entire bill, but some
States have been a little bit reluctant to hire additional
staff to process claims or increase their salaries and benefits
to make these positions more competitive. So how would you work
with the Governors? You were a Governor. I have talked to a lot
of these Governors about you, and you have a lot of fans out
there.
Governor O'Malley. Well, thank you.
The Chairman. So I think a good way to wrap this up is just
to have you give us a sense of a partnership--Federal
Government, these Governors--helping disabled people, putting
more resources to it, chopping that 217 days down. Your
thoughts?
Governor O'Malley. Yes. That is a big chunk of it. There
are 50 different States with their own disability offices, and
they need to make those determinations. I would be picking up
the phone and getting on the phone with other Governors.
Senator, you can send letters all you like, but we really need
to elevate the focus on this in the eyes of Governors.
There is an adage that the things that get measured are the
things that get done. But if the Governors are not seeing those
measurements, I would wager to guess that there are many
Governors who have no idea whether their staffing is up or down
in their State DDS offices.
And we need to elevate it. We need to elevate the focus; we
need to encourage and ask our Governors to make it a higher
priority. The other important aspect of this is people in the
disability advocacy community and also people who, for a
living, represent people when they are filing appeals. That is
a wealth of information that can come back to improve this
process, eliminate redundancies, and give people the justice
and the help they deserve.
The Chairman. My last comment is: something like 3 hours
ago, I asked you about this matter of somebody I have the honor
to represent at home in Albany, OR, and her being punished
because her parents lent a helping hand to try to help her get
by, and now she owes the government $9,000 in overpaid
benefits.
And you are going to help us. You said, ``Hey, I will stick
to this timetable. We are going to come up with some plans, we
are going to move ahead,'' and that is very welcome. I just
enjoyed listening to your passion for this issue, because the
question I was most interested in was the first one, and we
heard a little bit about that.
You know, Senators are Senators. They show up, there is a
microphone, they are going to ask about a lot of things, and
you kept it to service. That is really what the American people
are looking for right now. I happen to think the best politics
is good service. So, if you want to be political, go off and
give people some good service. And this is about people who
worked their whole lives paying into Social Security. They
earned these benefits, and they have a right to them.
You heard a lot of Senators today talking about how
important this issue is to them, and that is very welcome. We
heard Democrats and Republicans talking about how important it
is.
And now we have a little bit of business that we have to
take care of. I want to notify members that we are going to
hold the vote on the Rollinson, Kouzoukas, and Neuman
nominations today during the 1 p.m. vote in Room 219 in the
Capitol. For members--with respect to the written questions--
the deadline will be Tuesday, November 7th, at 5 p.m.
But I think, Governor, what you've told us over the last 3
hours or so is exactly what public service needs more of. I
welcome that, and we look forward to working with you. And I
guess your nomination started with me, because we had the first
call, and I guess we are wrapping it up together today.
I want the American people to know that I support your
nomination, I support it strongly, and I think you are going to
do a superb job.
With that, the Finance Committee is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:20 p.m., the hearing was concluded.]
A P P E N D I X
Additional Material Submitted for the Record
----------
Prepared Statement of Hon. Mike Crapo,
a U.S. Senator From Idaho
Governor O'Malley, congratulations on your nomination, and thank
you for your willingness to serve.
This nomination is long overdue, coming more than 2 years after
President Biden removed the prior Senate-confirmed Commissioner. During
this time, the Social Security Administration has struggled to fulfill
its customer service mission.
The Social Security Administration is responsible for overseeing
the Social Security program, which provides more than $1 trillion in
benefits to millions of seniors, individuals with disabilities, and
their families each year. The SSA also administers the Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) program, assigns Social Security numbers, and
issues Social Security cards.
Given the SSA's important responsibilities, the public rightly
expects the agency to provide timely, responsive service. However, SSA
is not living up to these expectations. For Fiscal Year 2023, Americans
waited more than 7 months, on average, for a disability decision at the
initial level. For those denied at the initial level, they waited
another 7 months at the reconsideration level and another nearly 15
months if they sought a hearing before an administrative law judge.
While not all applicants will qualify for disability benefits, they
all deserve to receive a decision within a reasonable period of time.
The Social Security Administration must take additional steps to reduce
wait times for a disability decision and address outdated disability
program rules.
SSA's national 800 number is one of the primary channels for
seeking assistance from the agency, and it must do more to address wait
times. In Fiscal Year 2023, callers to the national 800 number waited
more than 35 minutes, on average, to speak with a representative,
compared to approximately 13 minutes 2 years prior, and around 10
minutes a decade ago. SSA should also continue improving its online
offerings, which not only increase flexibility for beneficiaries, but
also allow the agency to be more efficient with its resources.
Americans rightly expect that the SSA will be a responsible steward
of taxpayer funds. However, for Fiscal Year 2021, the SSA issued
approximately $2.49 billion in improper payments for Social Security
and $4.91 billion for SSI. The agency has additional tools to prevent
improper payments before they occur, and the agency should use them.
Finally, while the President and Congress are tasked with ensuring
Social Security's long-term solvency, the SSA plays a critical role in
making sure the administration, Congress, and the public have accurate
and timely information about the program's long-term finances. This
year, for the first time in over a decade, the Social Security trustees
report was delivered to Congress by the statutory April 1st deadline. I
expect a new Commissioner to help ensure that the trustees report
deadline is treated as a deadline, not a suggestion.
Governor O'Malley, if confirmed, you will face immense challenges
and a relatively short timeline to get the Social Security
Administration back on track. This may be a tall order, but the
American people deserve nothing less.
I look forward to hearing your testimony and responses to our
questions to better understand: how you would evaluate and address
SSA's customer service challenges; what specific data you would look at
to evaluate the use of telework; how you would ensure that the SSA's
independent status is maintained in practice; and what would be your
top areas of focus with respect to modernizing the SSA's information
technology?
______
Prepared Statement of Hon. Barbara Mikulski,
a Former U.S. Senator From Maryland
Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for inviting me to appear before
the Finance Committee on the nomination of Martin O'Malley.
I welcome this opportunity to testify to share with you my
knowledge of Martin O'Malley and his capabilities for the position
under consideration, and why I feel so strongly that Social Security
needs a strong leader at this time.
We in Maryland have a lot of home-state pride to have the Social
Security Administration headquartered here in Maryland, where it has
been for 88 years, first in downtown Baltimore City and now in
Woodlawn.
In the 1930s, when choking on the dust bowl or working in the rust
bowl, Americans needed a safety net, and that is when Social Security
was created. For 88 years there has not been a missed payment. But it
is in much need of management reform.
Today, Social Security is facing a crisis in consumer constituent
delivery services. These issues are very familiar to the committee.
So many Americans depend on their Social Security, not only as a
lifeline, but a life preserver that keeps them afloat.
The challenges of the Social Security Administration include long
wait times for phones and constituent service, backlog of decisions,
dated technology, a worn facility, and an overwhelmed but dedicated
workforce.
The hardworking men and women of the Social Security Administration
need a strong, confirmed operational leader, and the American people
need a Social Security Administration that works for them. I believe
that Martin O'Malley would provide that leadership and management
skill.
I have known him personally and worked with him professionally for
over 3 decades. I knew him when he had more law books than ties. Martin
started as my field director while I was in the Senate; he then ran for
the City Council (which we in Baltimore have nicknamed the Pothole
Parliament); and continued on as a multi-term Mayor and then 2-term
Governor.
Service is in his DNA. He attended schools such as Gonzaga and
Catholic University law school. His mom even worked for me in
constituent services while I was in the Senate. The values, again, of
service.
When he was elected Mayor, because of his public flair, people
thought he would showboat, but instead he turned out to be a tugboat,
pulling the delivery of services in new and efficient ways.
He earned the Innovation in Government award from the Kennedy
School at Harvard for creating ``Citistat/311.'' City services actually
improved, and he took that same approach as Governor, where then, many
of you here led him to the NGA.
Martin O'Malley was not for big government, but smart government
using technology, data, and metrics. He has the talent and know-how to
master technology and for getting things done on time. He used metrics
to assess whether the job was being done, on time and within budget. He
believes in using technology and data for the appropriate deployment of
resources and technology to measure personal performance, not to
castigate but to motivate, and guess what--things improved.
Social Security needs a seasoned leader and manager, and Martin
O'Malley would be the one that provides that. We take great pride in
Social Security, and we want it to be one of the best-led agencies,
focused on constituent responsiveness and ending the backlog of wait
times.
Mr. Chairman, this is why I do think that he brings the commitment
to service, the skillset, and fiscal responsibility that is needed for
the Social Security Administration. I commend him to you for your
consideration.
______
Prepared Statement of Hon. Martin J. O'Malley, Nominated to be
Commissioner, Social Security Administration
Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and members of the committee,
thank you for holding this hearing.
I would like to thank Senator Cardin and former Senator Mikulski
for their kind introductions and their outstanding service to our
country and to the State of Maryland. I want to thank President Biden
for his trust in me. Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Judge
Katie Curran O'Malley, and my children, Grace, Tara, William, and Jack,
for their steadfast support in this challenge, and in every other call
to public service which our family has answered.
When I was a boy, I was taught by my parents--children of the Great
Depression, young people tested by their service in World War II--that
the greatness of our country is found in the care and concern we show
for one another, especially those who are sick, those who are old,
those who are lonely, those who are living with disabilities, children;
our neighbors who would otherwise go hungry.
Social Security is the most far-reaching and important act of
social and economic justice that the people of the United States have
ever enacted. For tens of millions of Americans across our country,
Social Security is the difference between living with dignity or living
in poverty.
For 88 years--without ever missing a single benefit payment--Social
Security has strived to provide the right amount, to the right person,
at the right time. And for the long arc of its history, Social Security
has done so with a high degree of accuracy. But today, for all its
historic strengths, we must acknowledge that Social Security faces a
customer service crisis.
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. Today, a senior citizen who calls the 800
number of the Social Security Administration will face an average hold
time of 37 long minutes. Today, an American in need of disability
benefits will wait 220 days for an initial decision, and perhaps as
long as 2 years for an appeal.
This is not the greatness of America. This is not acceptable.
If someone wants a face-to-face meeting with a Social Security
employee to claim their benefits, they should be able to get one. If
you are a person already living with a severe disability, you shouldn't
have to be dragged through 2 years of ``due process'' to receive the
benefits for which you have already spent a lifetime working.
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.
As a Mayor, I learned there is no Democratic or Republican way to
fill a pothole. As a Governor, I learned the biggest challenges can
only be tackled with bipartisan consensus. But, as both a Mayor and as
a Governor, I developed a discipline for harnessing data and
information technology in ways that got the best out of large, siloed
organizations of people that many--inside and outside of government--
thought too unwieldy, too slow, or too steeped in excuses to change.
Despite the challenges the agency faces, I have no doubt whatsoever
that the hardworking, patriotic, and dedicated men and women of the
Social Security Administration of the United States are up to this
moment. And so am I.
With your consent and confirmation, it would be the honor of a
lifetime to lead Social Security's outstanding public servants forward,
together, in such an important mission. And it would be a great
privilege to be able to provide each of you--as our Nation's elected
policymakers--with the best information you need to make the decisions
necessary for the long-term strength and well-being of Social Security
for the years ahead.
With deep humility, I look forward to hearing your advice,
answering your questions, and earning your consent.
Thank you.
______
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
STATEMENT OF INFORMATION REQUESTED
OF NOMINEE
A. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
1. Name (include any former names used): Martin Joseph O'Malley.
2. Position to which nominated: Commissioner, Social Security
Administration.
3. Date of nomination: July 26, 2023.
4. Address (list current residence, office, and mailing addresses):
5. Date and place of birth: January 18, 1963, Washington, DC.
6. Marital status (include maiden name of wife or husband's name):
7. Names and ages of children:
8. Education (list all secondary and higher education institutions,
dates attended, degree received, and date degree granted):
Gonzaga College High School, Washington, DC: High School
Diploma, 1981.
The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC: Bachelor's
Degree, 1985.
University of Maryland Law, Baltimore, MD: Juris Doctorate,
1988.
9. Employment record (list all jobs held since college, including the
title or description of job, name of employer, location of work, and
dates of employment for each job):
Assistant State's Attorney for Baltimore City, 1988-1990.
Attorney, Law Offices of Donald Daneman, Baltimore City, 1990-
1991.
Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, Councilmember 1991-1999.
Self-Employed, Martin O'Malley Attorney at Law, 1991-1998.
Attorney, Wartzman, Omansky Law, Towson, MD 1998-1999.
Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, Mayor 1999-2006.
State of Maryland, Governor 2007-2015.
Banner LLC, solely owned advisory/consulting business 2015-
present.
10. Government experience (list any current and former advisory,
consultative, honorary, or other part-time service or positions with
Federal, State, or local governments held since college, including
dates, other than those listed above):
Advisory Board to U.S. Secretaries of DHS, 2009-2013.
Democratic Co-Chair of the U.S. Council of Governors (appointed
by President Obama), 2013-2015.
11. Business relationships (list all current and former positions held
as an officer, director, trustee, partner (e.g., limited partner, non-
voting, etc.), proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any
corporation, company, firm, partnership, other business enterprise, or
educational or other institution):
Guidehouse Advisory--Senior Advisor for Smarter Government,
2022-present.
BuildWithin--Advisor, 2022-present.
ClimateView--Advisor, 2022-present.
Merit--Advisor, 2021-present.
Nitra--Advisor, 2021-present.
Protected by AI--Advisor, 2020-present.
Incapsulate--Advisor, 2019-present.
Queensland Investment Corporation, U.S.A--Advisor, 2019-
present.
Hytch Rides Rewards--Advisor, 2018-present.
ClearGov--Member, Board of Directors, 2017-present.
Geolitica--Member, Board of Directors, 2017-present.
Amida--Advisor, 2017-present.
Barcoding.com--Advisor, 2017-present.
Rivada Networks--Member, Board of Directors, 2016-present.
Grant Thornton Advisory--Senior Advisor for Smarter Government,
2018-2022.
Project Drawdown--Board member, 2016-2022.
Tecore Technologies--Consultant, 2020-2021.
Ecosystem Investment Partners--Consultant, 2020-2021.
SPIN--Advisor, 2017-2021.
MetroLab Network--Chair of Advisory Board, 2016-2021.
12. Memberships (list all current and former memberships, as well as
any current and former offices held in professional, fraternal,
scholarly, civic, business, charitable, and other organizations dating
back to college, including dates for these memberships and offices):
Member, Maryland State Bar Association, since 1988.
Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration, since 2019.
Commissioner, International Commission Against the Death
Penalty, 2020 to present.
13. Political affiliations and activities:
a. List all public offices for which you have been a candidate
dating back to the age of 18.
Maryland State Senate, 43rd District, 1990.
Baltimore City Council, 3rd District, 1991; 1995.
Mayor of Baltimore, 1999; 2003.
Governor of Maryland, 2006; 2010.
President of the United States, 2016.
b. List all memberships and offices held in and services
rendered to all political parties or election committees,
currently and during the last 10 years prior to the date of
your nomination.
Chair of the Democratic Governors Association: 2011-2013.
O'Say Can You See PAC: 2012-2017.
Win Back Your State PAC: 2017-2020.
c. Itemize all political contributions to any individual,
campaign organization, political party, political action
committee, or similar entity of $50 or more for the past 10
years prior to the date of your nomination.
To the best of my knowledge and after considerable research
using Federal, State, and local campaign finance databases, these are
my personal political contributions over the past 10 years:
Eric Costello for Baltimore City Council. $500 (8/9/2023).
Kate Fulton for Rockville City Council. $100 (8/8/2023).
Baltimore City Central Committee. $250 (7/12/2023).
Andy Beshear for Governor. $500 (2/21/2023).
Brooke Lierman for Maryland. $100 (10/27/2022).
Wes Moore for Maryland. $500 (10/13/2022).
Steve Johnson for Delegate. $500 (10/13/2022).
Wes Moore for Maryland. $1,000 (9/28/2022).
Protect Cecil: Write In Write Now. $250 (9/25/2022).
Friends of Odette Ramos [Maryland]. $250 (9/21/2022).
Janet Mills for Governor. $1,000 (8/23/2022).
Friends of Samay Singh Kindra [Maryland]. $250 (6/29/2022).
Friends of Sean D. Burns, Esq. [Maryland]. $250 (6/15/2022).
Lower Shore Progressive Caucus PAC. $250 (6/7/2022).
Friends of Todd Nock [Maryland]. $500 (5/19/2022).
Matthew O'Malley for Boston City Council. $250 (5/16/2019).
Carroll County Democratic Central Committee. $125 (5/16/2022).
Eric Lynn for Congress. $200 (5/13/2022).
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. $2,500 (5/11/2022).
Friends of Michele Gregory [Maryland]. $500 (5/11/2022).
Friends of Julie Palakovich Carr [Maryland]. $250 (5/7/2022).
Washington County Democratic Central Committee. $195 (4/21/
2022).
Western Maryland Democratic PAC. $1,400 (4/20/2022).
Elect Andre Johnson [Maryland]. $250 (4/9/2022).
Friends of M.C. (Mary). Keegan-Ayer [Maryland]. $250 (4/8/2022).
Citizens for Jerry Donald [Maryland]. $200 (4/8/2022).
Danny O'Connor for Congress. $250 (3/14/2022).
Danny O'Connor for Congress. $250 (3/10/2022).
Ben Chou for Harris County Commissioner. $1,500 (3/2/2022).
Van Hollen for Senate. $500 (2/3/2022).
Franken for Iowa. $100 (12/31/2021).
Friends of Eric Luedtke [Maryland]. $250 (12/2/2021).
Katie Curran O'Malley for Maryland. $6,000 (11/15/2021).
Bridie Farrell for Us. $250 (11/15/2021).
Ben Chou for Harris County Commissioner. $1,000 (11/14/2021).
Friends of Izzy Patoka [Maryland]. $100 (11/10/2021).
Glenn Ivey for Congress. $250 (10/28/2021).
Lucas Kunce for Missouri. $250 (9/22/2021).
Friends of Vaughn Stewart [Maryland]. $250 (9/20/2021).
The Calvin Ball Team [Maryland]. $500 (9/12/2021).
Lucas Kunce For Missouri. $250 (4/25/2021).
Friends of Izzy Patoka. $500 (4/20/2021).
Danny O'Connor for Congress. $500 (4/20/2021).
Michael Beson [New Jersey]. $100 (3/9/2021).
Michael Beson [New Jersey]. $500 (3/9/2021).
Powered By People. $500 (2/21/2021).
Friends of Tobias Read [Oregon]. $500 (2/9/2021).
Warnock for Georgia. $500 (11/18/2020).
Christian Motley for City Council [Lexington, KY]. $500 (10/15/
2020).
Christian Motley for City Council [Lexington, KY]. $500 (10/15/
2020).
Amy Nielsen for Iowa. $250 (10/12/2020).
Shaheen for Senate. $250 (10/5/2020).
Win Back Your State. $1,800 (10/1/2020).
Vincent Sheheen for South Carolina Senate. $500 (9/4/2020).
Joe Biden. $800 (8/19/2020).
Biden Victory Fund. $1,000 (08/06/2020).
Warnock for Georgia. $500 (7/15/2020).
Win Back Your State. $1,000 (7/14/2020).
Joe Biden. $1,000 (7/2/2020).
Friends of Regina T. Boyce [Maryland]. $250 (7/1/2020).
Margaret Good for Congress. $250 (6/30/2020).
Kim Olson for Congress. $250 (6/22/2020).
Jay Surdukowski for New Hampshire. $1,000 (6/16/2020).
Brandon Scott for Mayor. $100 (5/29/2020).
Franken for Iowa. $250 (5/27/2020).
Kennedy for Massachusetts. $250 (5/19/2020).
Sarah Riggs Amico for Georgia. $250 (5/14/20).
Margaret Good for Congress. $250 (4/9/2020).
Vincent Sheheen for South Carolina Senate. $500 (4/9/2020).
Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee. $1,000 (3/11/2020).
Amy Kennedy Congress. $250 (3/6/2020).
Ferguson, Bill Citizens for. $250 (12/20/2019).
Ferguson, Bill Citizens for. $250 (12/16/2019).
Franken for Iowa. $500 (11/23/2019).
Deval for All. $1,000 (11/23/2019).
Citizens for Maggie McIntosh [Maryland]. $250 (11/5/2019).
Jay Surdukowski for New Hampshire. $1,000 (10/19/2019).
Friends of Regina T. Boyce [Maryland]. $250 (9/23/2019).
Shaheen for Senate. $500 (9/11/2019).
Rickey Cole for Mississippi. $1,000 (9/7/2019).
Win Back Your State. $1,200 (8/11/2019).
Caroline Sullivan for Raleigh. $500 (8/8/2019).
Eric Costello for Baltimore. $500 (7/16/2019).
Friends of Odette Ramos [Maryland]. $250 (6/7/2019).
Beto O'Rourke. $2,800 (3/20/2019).
Win Back Your State. $600 (3/18/2019).
Win Back Your State. $4,400 (1/22/2019).
Emerge Maryland. $250 (12/12/2018).
Win Back Your State. $5,000 (11/13/2018).
Bredesen for Senate. $1,000 (10/29/2018).
Rob Sand for Iowa. $500 (10/29/2018).
Heather Matson for Iowa House. $500 (10/27/2018).
Cindy Axne for Congress. $500 (10/27/2018).
JD Ford for Indiana Senate. $500 (10/19/2018).
Zack Space for Ohio. $250 (10/18/2018).
Tom Sullivan for Colorado House. $300 (10/14/2018).
Jesse Danielson for Colorado State Senate. $250 (10/14/2018).
Faith Winter for Colorado State Senate. $250 (10/13/2018).
Tammy Story for Colorado State Senate $250 (10/13/2018).
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. $500 (10/8/2018).
January Contreras for Arizona Attorney General. $250 (10/8/
2018).
Katie Hobbs for Arizona Secretary of State. $200 (10/7/2018).
Laura Kelly for Kansas Governor. $250 (10/4/2018).
Friends of Ben McAdams. $500 (10/4/2018).
Kansas Democratic Party. $200 (10/3/2018).
Tim Gannon for Iowa. $250 (10/3/2018).
Shireen Ghorbani for Congress. $250 (10/2/2018).
Charlie Bailey for Georgia Attorney General. $250 (10/1/2018).
Carolyn for Congress. $250 (9/29/2018).
House Democratic Caucus Committee, Maryland. $500 (9/28/2018).
John Murphy for Recorder [Dubuque County, IA]. $500 (9/23/2018).
Nancy Fett for Iowa. $250 (9/23/2018).
Kevin Kinney for Iowa State Senate. $500 (9/23/2018).
Clarke Tucker for Congress. $250 (9/11/2018).
Helen Tai for Pennsylvania General Assembly. $1,000 (9/8/2018).
Charlie McConkey for Iowa State Representative. $250 (9/2/2018).
Machaela Cavanaugh for Nebraska. $250 (9/2/2018).
Citizens for Brian Frosh [Maryland]. $2,000 (8/29/2018).
Nathan Johnson for Texas Senate. $250 (8/24/2018).
Colin Allred for Congress. $250 (8/23/2018).
James Talarico for Texas House. $250 (8/20/2018).
John Bucy for Texas House. $250 (8/20/2018).
Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee. $250 (8/20/18).
Kopser for Congress. $250 (8/19/2018).
Friends of Ben Jealous [Maryland]. $500 (8/9/2018).
New Hampshire House Democrats. $500 (8/5/2018).
Scholten4Iowa Campaign Committee. $250 (7/26/2018).
Rob Sand for Iowa. $500 (7/24/2018).
Earls for Justice [North Carolina]. $250 (7/17/2018).
Iowa Democratic Party. $100 (7/16/2018).
David Jacoby for Iowa House. $100 (7/14/2018).
Ken Harbaugh for Congress. $500 (6/28/2018).
Friends of David Sloan [Maryland]. $250 (6/25/2018).
Friends of Amy Blank [Maryland]. $1,000 (6/20/2018).
Sutton For South Dakota. $500 (6/12/2018).
Friends of Rushern Baker, III/Comm For Pol Change. $2,000 (6/8/
2018).
George Franklin For Congress. $500 (6/8/2018).
Tatiana Matta For Congress. $250 (5/30/2018).
Friends of Tony (Deoleous) Bridges [Maryland]. $250 (5/30/2018).
Jim Shea for Maryland. $250 (5/23/2018).
David Shapiro for Congress. $100 (4/29/2018).
Jason Crow for Congress. $250 (4/24/2018).
Friends of Rushern Baker, III/Comm For Pol Change. $1,000 (4/19/
2018).
The Calvin Ball Team. $500 (4/18/2018).
Alvin Brown for Congress. $250 (3/31/2018).
Friends of Tony (Deoleous) Bridges. $200 (3/28/2018).
Alec Ross for Maryland. $500 (3/27/2018).
Irish American Democrats. $200 (3/24/2018).
Friends of Mike (David) Lyles. $250 (1/18/2018).
Committee for Kevin Kamenetz. $250 (1/5/2018).
Friends of John Olszewski, Jr. $500 (1/4/2018).
J.D. Merrill For Maryland State Senate. $6,000 (12/26/2017).
Michelle Rylands for Washington State Senate. $500 (11/3/2017).
Northam for Governor [Virginia]. $500 (10/26/2017).
Justin Fairfax for Virginia. $250 (10/23/2017).
Anthony Brown for Congress. $250 (9/30/2017).
Pete Fosselman for Montgomery County Council. $200 (9/16/2017).
Kevin Kinney for Iowa State Senate. $500 (9/10/2017).
Nate Boulton for Iowa. $500 (9/8/2017).
Donte Tanner for Virginia Delegate. $200 (9/2/2017).
Annette Taddeo for Florida State Senate. $500 (8/29/2017).
Nate Bouton for Iowa. $500 (7/20/2017).
Wyoming Democratic Party. $120 (7/15/2017).
Trevor Elkins Committee [Ohio]. $250 (5/4/2017).
Friends of Anna Throne-Holst. $250 (10/19/2016).
Austin Young Democrats. $100 (9/10/2016).
O'Malley for President. $2,700 (6/30/2015).
In addition, my Leadership PACs, O'Say Can You See and Win Back
Your State, made political contributions that were not personal
donations. As the Chair of the Democratic Governors Association from
2011-2013, head of the Democratic Party of Maryland as Governor from
2006-2015, and a candidate for President from 2015-2016, I was involved
in the distribution of campaign contributions from the organizations.
Contributions from my Leadership PACs, Democratic Governors
Association, Democratic Party of Maryland, and O'Malley for President
are publicly available through campaign finance regulatory agencies.
14. Honors and awards (list all scholarships, fellowships, honorary
degrees, honorary society memberships, military medals, and any other
special recognitions for outstanding service or achievement received
since the age of 18):
Similar to many Governors and Mayors, I received many awards,
honorary memberships, and other forms of recognition. There is
no comprehensive record, but they include:
The Innovations in Government Award for Citistat/311, Kennedy
School, Harvard, 2004--The City of Baltimore was recognized for
combining geographic information technology with customer
service (call center) technology to create an enterprise system
for performance management and continuous improvement.
Gartner Award for Customer Relations Management for Citistat/
311, 2003--The City of Baltimore was the first government
agency or municipality to ever win the Gartner Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) Excellence Award in the large-
enterprise category.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ranked Maryland #1 in Innovation and
Entrepreneurship for 3 years in a row from 2011-2013.
Education Week Magazine, ranked Maryland Public Schools #1 from
2010-2014.
Governing Magazine, named Public Official of the Year as
Governor in 2012.
Time Magazine, named Top Five Big City Mayors in 2005.
15. Published writings (list the titles, publishers, dates and
hyperlinks (as applicable) of all books, articles, reports, blog posts,
or other published materials you have written):
To the best of my knowledge and after considerable research,
these are published materials I have written:
``The Biden administration must vote to abolish the death
penalty at the U.N. this week.'' America The Jesuit Review.
December 12, 2022. https://www.
americamagazine.org/politics-society/2022/12/12/un-death-
penalty-abolition-biden-iran-usa-244324.
``Fleecing the States: Fraud in State-Administered Pandemic
Programs.'' Co-written with Linda Miller. Route Fifty.
September 1, 2021. https://www.route-fifty.com/finance/2021/09/
fleecing-states-fraud-state-administered-pandemic-programs/
185010/.
``Effective leadership in the age of information.'' Esri
Australia. August 9, 2021. https://esriaustralia.com.au/blog/
technology-creating-new-way-governing.
``Smart governing for smart cities.'' Esri Australia. August 4,
2021. https://esriaustralia.com.au/blog/rise-smart-cities.
``States and Localities Should Implement Equity Compliance
Measures.'' Route Fifty. April 26, 2021. https://www.route-
fifty.com/management/2021/04/states-and-localities-implement-
equity-compliance-measures/173617/.
``Baltimore must make full use of American Rescue Plan money.''
Co-written with Kurt Schmoke. The Baltimore Sun. April 22,
2021. https://www.
baltimoresun.com/opinion/readers-respond/bs-ed-rr-baltimore-
opportunity-recovery-letter-20210422-
satlj7oy65d5jadjqukux52mb4-story.html.
``You can count on Joe Biden to deliver real change. . . As I
got to see for myself.'' Irish Independent. November 5, 2020.
https://www.independent.ie/world-news/north-america/you-can-
count-on-joe-biden-to-deliver-real-change-as-i-got-to-see-for-
myself/39708794.html.
``Joe Biden and A New Way of Governing.'' Medium. October 30,
2020. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/joe-biden-and-a-new-
way-of-governing-a398b48
de1a7.
``Ramping Up Efforts to Trace the Coronavirus.'' Route Fifty.
June 3, 2020. https://www.route-fifty.com/management/2020/06/
efforts-trace-coronavirus/165890/.
``What Effective Public Leaders Do to Get Ahead of a Crisis.''
Co-written with Andrew Feldman. Governing. April 2, 2020.
https://www.governing.com/now/what-effective-public-leaders-do-
to-get-ahead-of-crisis.html.
``A lot of crazy ideas come out of the woodwork in a pandemic.
But this one isn't crazy.'' Medium. March 30, 2020. https://
medium.com/@MartinOMalley/a-lot-of-crazy-ideas-come-out-of-the-
woodwork-in-a-pandemic-but-this-one-isnt-crazy-7a0ef11deb7c.
``Want to fix the presidential primaries? Revive the fairness
and equal time doctrines.'' The Washington Post. January 28,
2020. https://www.washington
post.com/opinions/2020/01/28/want-fix-presidential-primaries-
revive-fairness-equal-time-doctrines/.
``Data sharing crucial for good governance.'' Geospatial World.
December 17, 2019. https://www.geospatialworld.net/article/
data-sharing-good-governance/.
``Caught in the Cycle of `Urgent Over Important'? This
Leadership Strategy Can Help.'' Co-written with Andrew Feldman.
Route Fifty. December 11, 2019. https://www.route-fifty.com/
management/2019/12/leadership-performancestat
/161814/.
Smarter Government: How to Govern for Results in the
Information Age. Esri Press. 332 pages. November 5, 2019.
https://www.smartergovernment.com.
``A lifelong friend remembers Elijah Cummings.'' The American
Independent. October 31, 2019. https://americanindependent.com/
elijah-cummings-martin-o-malley-baltimore-maryland-democrats-
congress/.
``The Federal Government Has Lost Our Trust. It Could Learn
Something From Our Cities.'' Time. October 18, 2019. https://
time.com/5704710/trust-government-democracy/.
``Racist President does not know the streets of Baltimore.''
Irish Central. July 31, 2019. https://www.irishcentral.com/
opinion/others/martin-omalley-racist-president-baltimore.
``States must reassert authority on clean energy policy.''
Utility Dive. March 28, 2019. https://www.utilitydive.com/news/
ex-maryland-gov-omalley-states-must-reassert-authority-on-
clean-energy-po/551461/.
``I hope Beto O'Rourke runs for president in 2020. Here's
why.'' USA Today. January 4, 2019. https://
www.statesmanjournal.com/story/opinion/2019/01/04/martin-
omalley-president-2020-beto-orourke-column/2482707002/.
``Jerry Brown Has the Power to Save 740 Lives. He Should Use
It.'' Co-written with Richard Celeste, John Kitzhaber, Bill
Richardson, Pat Quinn and Toney Anaya. The New York Times.
December 13, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/opinion/
jerry-brown-california-death-row.html.
``Larry Hogan's `real estate racket.' '' The Baltimore Sun.
October 26, 2018. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/
bs-ed-op-1029-omalley-hogan-20181025-story.html.
``Irish America needs no lessons on liberty and decency from
the Irish in Ireland.'' IrishCentral. October 4, 2018. https://
www.irishcentral.com/news/irish-america-no-lessons-liberty-
martin-omalley.
``Governors can rebuff Trump's refugee policy.'' Houston
Chronicle. July 5, 2018. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/
opinion/outlook/article/Governors-can-rebuff-Trump-s-refugee-
policy-13051167.php.
``When Terrorizing Children Became a Presidential Weapon of
Choice.'' Medium. June 21, 2018. https://medium.com/
@MartinOMalley/when-terrorizing-children-became-a-presidential-
weapon-of-choice-cd9aa0b61513.
``Notes from the Field.'' Medium. June 13, 2018. https://
medium.com/@MartinOMalley/notes-from-the-field-119b3db425b8.
``Notes from the Field.'' Medium. June 4, 2018. https://
medium.com/@MartinOMalley/notes-from-the-field-c5391fd592b6.
``That's a switch--more good candidates than good workers!''
Medium. May 2, 2018. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/thats-a-
switch-more-good-candidates-than-good-workers-bbb6952096ac.
``The World Only Spins Forward.'' Medium. April 22, 2018.
https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/the-world-only-spins-forward-
8dde1ac35784.
``Seizing America's Renewable Energy Future.'' New York State
Green Building Conference. April 5, 2018. https://www-
2.esf.edu/greenbuilding/2018/documents/2018NYSGBC_OMalley.pdf.
``How many more kids have to die before States take action on
gun violence?'' February 19, 2018. https://medium.com/
@MartinOMalley/how-many-more-kids-have-to-die-before-states-
take-action-on-gun-violence-5932dd3fbad6.
``The Tinhorn Dictator.'' Medium. February 9, 2018. https://
medium.com/@MartinOMalley/the-tinhorn-dictator-fc3b078be2ef.
``Americans Deserve This Transcript.'' HuffPost. January 11,
2018. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/americans-deserve-this-
transcript_b_5a57ab46e4b02f87
0f8dc39e.
``To Win Back Our Country, Democrats Must Win Back Our
States.'' HuffPost. November 16, 2017. https://
www.huffpost.com/entry/to-win-back-our-country-democrats-must-
win-back-our_b_5a0e00bce4b023121e0e90d8.
``Course Correction.'' Green Builder. November 9, 2017. (Blog
post no longer available on their website. Previous link:
https://www.greenbuildermedia.com/blog/course-correction).
``National Service: Hillary Fights For Millennials.'' HuffPost.
November 4, 2016. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/national-
service-hillary_b_12797464.
``We can achieve an energy reset in Puerto Rico.'' GreenBiz.
October 19, 2017. https://www.greenbiz.com/article/we-can-
achieve-energy-reset-puerto-rico.
``Project Drawdown Here and Now.'' Green Builder. August 23,
2017. (Blog post no longer available on their website. Previous
link: https://www.
greenbuildermedia.com/blog/course-correction).
``Rise Above.'' Medium. June 5, 2017. https://medium.com/
@MartinOMalley/the-opportunity-of-climate-change-a6f8ca94e5d8.
``Letters from Boston: Final Letter from Boston.'' Medium. May
8, 2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/final-letter-from-
boston-75a8ab94a8bf.
``Letters from Boston: The Freedom of the City.'' Medium. April
18, 2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/the-freedom-of-the-
city-78b69781b6fb.
``Letters from Boston: America in Syria.'' Medium. April 10,
2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/letters-from-boston-
america-in-syria-92bc0efa9652.
``Letters from Boston: Trusting Our Neighbors.'' Medium. April
3, 2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/letters-from-boston-
trusting-our-neighbors-55e2
6ec2fb6e.
``Letters from Boston: How You Campaign Determines How You
Govern.'' Medium. March 27, 2017. https://medium.com/
@MartinOMalley/letters-from-boston-how-you-campaign-determines-
how-you-govern-dbd4d51a1a7a.
``Letters from Boston: We Are Exceptional, But Not
infallible.'' Medium. March 20, 2017. https://medium.com/
@MartinOMalley/letters-from-boston-berlin-germany-4824cfc67ca.
``Taoiseach fawning at the altar of Trump.'' Business Post.
March 19, 2017. https://www.businesspost.ie/insight/martin-
omalley-taoiseach-fawning-at-the-altar-of-trump/.
``Letters from Boston: How we treat the Earth affects all
people.'' Medium. March 13, 2017. https://medium.com/
@MartinOMalley/letters-from-boston-how-we-treat-the-earth-
affects-all-people-66403ca43194.
``Letters from Boston: We Shall Overcome.'' Medium. March 6,
2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/letters-from-boston-we-
shall-overcome-efa319b6b
04b.
``Letters from Boston: Change is Inevitable.'' Medium. February
27, 2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/letters-from-
boston-change-is-inevitable-691fd03e588c.
``Letters from Boston: A Trout in the Milk.'' Medium. February
14, 2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/trout-in-the-milk-
f97ca47cbe75.
``Letters from Boston: Resistance is a Choice.'' Medium.
February 13, 2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/letters-
from-boston-resistance-is-a-choice
-2e095f397aed.
``Pick Pete for the Democrats Future.'' Medium. February 7,
2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/pick-pete-for-the-
democrats-future-4346ae0db244.
``Letters from Boston: The Truth Behind `Sanctuary' Cities.''
Medium. February 6, 2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/
the-truth-behind-sanctuary-cities-a40b67f9cd15.
``Letters from Boston: First they came for the Muslims, and we
said, `not in America, you don't.' '' Medium. January 30, 2017.
https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/first-they-came-for-the-
muslims-and-we-said-not-in-america-you-dont-ad267331bf9e.
``Restoring the Integrity of Our Democracy.'' Medium. January
25, 2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/restoring-the-
integrity-of-our-democracy-99494497460f.
``The Opportunity of Climate Change.'' Medium. January 10,
2017. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/the-opportunity-of-
climate-change-2b873a6d7bdd.
``Freedom or Fascism.'' HuffPost. November 5, 2016. https://
www.huffpost.com/entry/go-all-out-for-hillary_b_12813550.
``Finally, A Debate on Immigration Reform.'' HuffPost. October
18, 2016. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/finally-a-debate-on-
immig_b_12542652.
``Climate Change; The Debate We Need.'' HuffPost. September 30,
2016. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/climate-change-the-
debate_b_12271334.
`` `Supported by her exiled children in America': John Devoy
and Irish America in 1916.'' IrishCentral. September 22, 2016.
https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/supported-by-her-
exiled-children-in-america-john-devoy-and-irish-america-in-
1916.
``Mr. Trump's Catholic Problem.'' HuffPost. August 17, 2016.
https://www.
huffpost.com/entry/mr-trumps-catholic-proble_b_11569202.
``Donald Trump Doesn't Believe in Science.'' Medium. July 27,
2016. https://medium.com/democratic-national-convention/donald-
trump-doesnt-believe-in-science-e90d3680785f.
``Reinstate The Combat Assault Weapons Ban Now.'' HuffPost.
June 23, 2016. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/reinstate-the-
combat-assa_b_10630392.
``Our Immigration Policy Is Not Only Unjust--It's Un-
American.'' HuffPost. May 9, 2016. https://www.huffpost.com/
entry/our-immigration-policy-is_b_9876288.
``An American Worker's Bill of Rights for the 21st Century.''
O'Malley for President policy release. January 14, 2016.
https://web.archive.org/web/20160219
081906/https://martinomalley.com/policy/workers-bill-of-
rights/.
``A New Agenda for American Cities and Communities.'' O'Malley
for President policy release. January 14, 2016. https://
web.archive.org/web/2016021908
1908/https:/martinomalley.com/policy/american-cities-and-
communities/.
``An American Worker's Bill of Rights for the 21st Century.''
Medium. January 14, 2016. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/as-
i-ve-traveled-across-the-country-it-s-clear-that-we-have-come-
a-long-way-since-the-wall-street-7cb428d1bd
6d.
``No child should go hungry in America.'' Concord Monitor.
November 26, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160322002602/
https:/politics.concordmonitor.
com/2015/11/opinion/my-turn-no-child-should-go-hungry-in-
america/.
``Keeping America Safe.'' O'Malley for President policy
release. November 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/
20160219081912/https:/martinomalley.com
/policy/keeping-america-safe/.
``Innovation: The Key to Progress in Health.'' O'Malley for
President policy release. November 24, 2015. https://
web.archive.org/web/20160219082047/https:/martinomalley.com/
policy/health-care/.
``Governor O'Malley's Plan for Veterans and Military
Families.'' O'Malley for President policy release. November 9,
2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160219082204/https:/
martinomalley.com/policy/veterans/.
``Why the death penalty needs to go.'' CNN. November 6, 2015.
https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/06/opinions/omalley-capital-
punishment/index.html.
``Choose a president with experience, vision, results.''
Portsmouth Herald. November 6, 2015. https://
www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/local/exeter-news-letter/
2015/11/06/choose-president-with-experience-vision/
33157979007/.
``America can afford to expand Social Security.'' Concord
Monitor. October 20, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/
20151022190323/https:/politics.concord
monitor.com/2015/10/opinion/my-turn-america-can-afford-to-
expand-social-security/.
``Tonight--An Introduction.'' Medium. October 13, 2015. https:/
/medium.com/@MartinOMalley/tonight-an-introduction-
d480496c5f37.
``Trade Policy.'' O'Malley for President policy release.
October 9, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160219082050/
https:/martinomalley.com/policy/trade-policy/.
``Stop stumbling into bad trade deals.'' The Gazette (Cedar
Rapids). October 8, 2015. https://www.thegazette.com/guest-
columnists/omalley-stop-stumbling-into-bad-trade-deals/.
``National Service.'' O'Malley for President policy release.
October 7, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160219082207/
https:/martinomalley.com/policy/national-service/.
``Financial Reform.'' O'Malley for President policy release.
October 7, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160219082231/
https:/martinomalley.com/policy/financial-reform/.
``New Climate Leadership.'' O'Malley for President policy
release. October 6, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/
20160219082113/https:/martinomalley.com
/policy/clean-energy-future/.
``Addiction Treatment to Save Lives.'' O'Malley for President
policy release. October 6, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/
20160219082245/https:/martin
omalley.com/the-latest/addiction-treatment-and-prevention/.
``O'Malley's remarks on combatting gun violence.'' Medium.
October 4, 2015. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/o-malley-s-
remarks-on-combatting-gun-violence-286b299945a7.
``Substance abuse fight requires action, resolve.'' Concord
Monitor. October 4, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/
20160201060114/https:/politics.concord
monitor.com/2015/10/opinion/my-turn-substance-abuse-fight-
requires-action-resolve/.
``Put more cops on Wall Street beat.'' Des Moines Register.
October 1, 2015. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/
opinion/columnists/caucus/2015/10/01/omalley-put-more-cops-
wall-street-beat/73142584/.
``Restoring our American Democracy: Campaign Finance Reform.''
O'Malley for President policy release. October 1, 2015. https:/
/web.archive.org/web/20160219082256/https:/martinomalley.com/
the-latest/campaign-finance-reform/.
``What did Citizens United do and why does it matter?'' Medium.
September 30, 2015. https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/this-
week-marks-the-end-of-another-campaign-fundraising-quarter-
876ed5be8d52.
``Francis' visit calls for a reflection on our Nation's
obligations, priorities.'' National Catholic Reporter.
September 21, 2015. https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/
francis-visit-calls-reflection-our-nations-obligations-
priorities.
``America succeeds when women and families succeed.'' The
Gazette (Cedar Rapids). September 14, 2015. https://
www.thegazette.com/guest-columnists/america-succeeds-when-
women-and-families-succeed/.
``My promise on guns, NRA.'' CNN. September 14, 2015. https://
www.cnn.com/2015/09/14/opinions/omalley-guns-nra/index.html.
``Preventing and Reducing Gun Violence.'' O'Malley for
President policy release. September 14, 2015. https://
web.archive.org/web/20160219081925/https:/martinomalley.com/
policy/preventing-and-reducing-gun-violence/.
``Lady Liberty should open arms to Syrian refugees.'' USA
Today. September 9, 2015. https://www.usatoday.com/story/
opinion/2015/09/09/syrian-refugee-crisis-american-role-
increase-resettlement-column/71929100/.
``Rebuilding the American Dream through the Innovation
Economy.'' Startup Mag. August 24, 2015. https://medium.com/
the-startup-magazine-collection/rebuilding-the-american-dream-
through-the-innovation-economy-dbe5c2b4327c.
``To ensure retirement security, let's start by expanding
Social Security.'' Quad-City Times. August 21, 2015. https://
qctimes.com/news/opinion/mailbag/to-ensure-retirement-security-
lets-start-by-expanding-social-security/article_fb25c25
2-dc5a-5f21-b200-950075bad574.html.
``Expand Social Security.'' O'Malley for President policy
release. August 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/
20160219082031/https:/martinomalley.com/policy/expanding-
social-security/.
``U.N. should take responsibility for Haiti's deadly cholera
epidemic.'' CNN. August 17, 2015. https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/
17/opinions/omalley-haiti-cholera-un/index.html.
``15 Goals to Rebuild the American Dream.'' O'Malley for
President policy release. August 13, 2015. https://
web.archive.org/web/20160219082033/https://martinomalley.com/
15-goals/goal-1/.
``My 15 Goals to Rebuild the American Dream.'' Medium. August
13, 2015. https://medium.com/o-malley-for-president/national-
goals-for-the-american-dream-1e93dff89bf.
``Here Are 15 Things You Won't Hear at Tonight's GOP Debate.''
Independent Journal Review. August 6, 2015. https://
web.archive.org/web/201508090223
18/http:/journal.ijreview.com/2015/08/.246013-15-things-wont-
hear-tonights-gop-debate/.
``Criminal Justice Reform.'' O'Malley for President policy
release. July 31, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/
20160219082138/https:/martinomalley.com/policy/criminal-
justice/.
``Congress needs to act on gun reform.'' The Boston Globe. July
25, 2015. https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/07/24/
martin-malley-congress-needs-act-gun-reform/
VHwtYH6qor1wVsy4u1n2mJ/story.html.
``Creating a 21st Century immigration policy.'' The Gazette
(Cedar Rapids). July 14, 2015. https://www.thegazette.com/
guest-columnists/creating-a-21st-century-immigration-policy/.
``Welcoming New Americans to Rebuild the American Dream.''
O'Malley for President policy release. July 14, 2015. https://
web.archive.org/web/20160219082334/https:/martinomalley.com/
policy/immigration/.
``Making College Debt Free for All Americans.'' O'Malley for
President policy release. July 8, 2015. https://
web.archive.org/web/20160219082049/https:/martinomalley.com/
policy/make-college-debt-free/.
``We can get all our energy from renewables.'' Des Moines
Register. June 29, 2015. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/
story/opinion/columnists/caucus/2015/06/30/omalley-can-get-
energy-renewables/29489855/.
``Remarks on Foreign Policy.'' Transcribed remarks from
TruCon15. June 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/
20160219081928/https:/martinomalley.com
/policy/foreign-policy/.
``I'm pissed.'' Medium. June 19, 2015. https://medium.com/
@MartinOMalley/i-m-pissed-c40c6315c26b.
``Zero out fossil fuels by 2050.'' USA Today. June 18, 2015.
https://www.
usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/06/18/pope-francis-encyclical-
clean-energy-technology-campaign-column/28859409/.
``Moral Leadership in Our Own Hemisphere.'' HuffPost. June 17,
2015. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/moral-leadership-in-our-
o_b_7606358.
``The U.S. Government--and the Next President--Needs to Take
Cybersecurity Seriously.'' Foreign Policy. June 9, 2015.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/06/09/the-u-s-government-and-
the-next-president-needs-to-take-cybersecurity-seriously/.
``We Are Capable of More.'' HuffPost. April 30, 2015. https://
www.huffpost.com/entry/we-are-capable-of-more_b_7179780.
``Federal solutions to our student loan problem.'' The
Washington Post. April 23, 2015. https://
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/federal-solutions-to-our-
student-loan-problem/2015/04/23/a9ab9f6c-e69a-11e4-9767-
6276fc9b0ada_story
.html.
``Debt Free College.'' Medium. April 23, 2015. https://
medium.com/o-malley-for-president/debt-free-college-
2dd0b3cb4982.
``Prevent another crash, reform Wall Street.'' Des Moines
Register. March 19, 2015. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/
story/opinion/columnists/caucus/2015/03/20/prevent-another-
crash-reform-wall-street/25057735/.
``On the Clock, but Underpaid.'' Politico Magazine. February
26, 2015. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/02/
overtime-pay-115540/.
``Don't Drill Along the East Coast.'' The New York Times.
February 2, 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/02/opinion/
dont-drill-along-the-east-coast.
html.
``Letters to the People of Maryland.'' Tumblr. January 1, 2015-
November 15, 2015. https://letterstomaryland.tumblr.com/.
``Democrats reflect your values.'' USA Today. November 3, 2014.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/11/03/omalley-
democrats-american-values-election-day-column/18435065/.
``The legacy of the Battle of Baltimore.'' The Baltimore Sun.
September 11, 2014. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/bs-
xpm-2014-09-11-bs-ed-star-spangled-20140911-story.html.
``Back to School and Winning the Future.'' HuffPost. August 25,
2014. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/back-to-school-and-
winnin_b_5709895.
``Forging a smart growth economy.'' The Baltimore Sun. July 21,
2014. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-omalley-
entrepreneurship-201407
20-story.html.
``Making College More Affordable for More Families.'' HuffPost.
May 23, 2014. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/making-college-
more-affor_b_5380350,
``The Power of Open Data.'' HuffPost. April 10, 2014. https://
www.huffpost
.com/entry/the-power-of-open-data_b_5128428.
``Equal Pay Day--Making Maryland Even Better for Women.''
HuffPost. April 8, 2014. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/equal-
pay-day-making-ma_b_5112829.
``Maryland Notches Another Victory for LGBT Rights.'' HuffPost.
March 28, 2014. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/maryland-
notches-another_b_5051443.
``Investing in Education . . . Creating Opportunity.''
HuffPost. February 5, 2014. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/
investing-in-education-cr_b_4732755.
``What Maryland does better than Texas.'' The Washington Post.
September 17, 2013. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/
gov-omalley-what-maryland-does-better-than-texas/2013/09/17/
0c6b00f2-1faf-11e3-94a2-6c66b668ea55_
story.html.
``Strengthening Our Democracy by Making It Easier to Vote.''
HuffPost. May 2, 2013. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/
strengthening-our-democra_b_3199673.
``Preparing for the Next Boston Bombing.'' HuffPost. April 25,
2013. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/preparing-for-the-next-
bo_b_3155855.
``The Things That Work to Curb Gun Violence.'' HuffPost. April
5, 2013. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-things-that-work-
to-c_b_3019119.
``Replace the sequester before it's too late.'' Co-written with
Steny Hoyer. The Baltimore Sun. April 4, 2013. https://
www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-hoyer-omalley-
sequester-20130404-story.html.
``Better Choices, Better Results: Moving Maryland Towards Wind
Power.'' HuffPost. March 19, 2013. https://www.huffpost.com/
entry/better-choices-better-res_b_2906255.
``A Balanced Approach Works.'' HuffPost. February 27, 2013.
https://www.
huffpost.com/entry/a-balanced-approach-works_b_2774479.
``Maryland: Leading the Way in Cyber.'' HuffPost. February 19,
2013. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/maryland-leading-the-
way_b_2718883.
`` `Plan B' Isn't a Plan at All.'' HuffPost. December 19, 2012.
https://www.
huffpost.com/entry/plan-b-isnt-a-plan-at-all_b_2332152.
``Maryland Defends Marriage Equality.'' HuffPost. November 12,
2012. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/maryland-defends-
marriage_b_2117180.
``For Question 6, Because We Love Maryland.'' Co-written with
Michael Bloomberg. HuffPost. October 25, 2012. https://
www.huffpost.com/entry/for-
question-6-because-we_b_2018826.
``A Ruling to Move Us Forward.'' HuffPost. June 28, 2012.
https://www.
huffpost.com/entry/a-ruling-to-move-us-forwa_b_1634467.
``Mitt Romney's Job-less Plan.'' HuffPost. June 11, 2012.
https://www.
huffpost.com/entry/mitt-romneys-job-less-pla_b_1588236.
``Health reform has been critical for Maryland.'' The Baltimore
Sun. May 3, 2012. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/bs-xpm-
2012-05-03-bs-ed-omalley
-aca-20120503-story.html.
``Reversing Deforestation Is Complicated; Planting a Tree Is
Simple.'' HuffPost. April 30, 2012. https://www.huffpost.com/
entry/reversing-deforestation-i_b_14
65102.
``We Need to Invest in Infrastructure.'' HuffPost. March 15,
2012. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/we-need-to-invest-in-
infr_b_1347197.
``Dignity for All: Why I Signed Same-Sex Marriage into Maryland
Law.'' HuffPost. March 2, 2012. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/
maryland-gaymarriage_b_1314982.
``Baltimore believed, and change has come.'' The Baltimore Sun.
January 3, 2012. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/bs-xpm-
2012-01-03-bs-ed-believe-20120103-story.html.
``Merger doesn't do enough to help Marylanders.'' The Baltimore
Sun. December 8, 2011. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/bs-
xpm-2011-12-08-bs-ed-omalley-constellation-20111208-story.html.
``Modern Investments: A Historic Truth.'' HuffPost. October 20,
2011. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/congress-jobs-
act_b_1022587.
``A Very Real Threat.'' HuffPost. July 19, 2011. https://
www.huffpost.com/entry/debt-ceiling-default_b_903669.
``A Balanced Approach.'' HuffPost. June 30, 2011. https://
www.huffpost.com/entry/a-balanced-approach_b_888015.
``Investing to Win the Future.'' HuffPost. April 14, 2011.
https://www.
huffpost.com/entry/investing-to-win-the-futu_b_849123.
``The need for the NewDEAL.'' Co-written with Mark Begich. The
Hill. March 29, 2011. https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/
economy-a-budget/86863-the-need-for-the-newdeal/.
``Children's future is in the balance.'' Politico. February 25,
2011. https://www.politico.com/story/2011/02/childrens-future-
is-in-the-balance-050125.
``Affordable Care Act.'' February 17, 2011. https://
www.huffpost.com/entry/affordable-care-act_b_824695.
``Obama's model is working in Maryland.'' The Baltimore Sun.
February 14, 2011. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/bs-xpm-
2011-02-14-bs-ed-omalley
-obama-20110214-story.html.
``A defining time for America.'' Politico. February 2, 2011.
https://www.
politico.com/story/2011/02/a-defining-time-for-america-048596.
``Maryland faces tough choices but a bright future.'' The
Baltimore Sun. January 22, 2011. https://www.baltimoresun.com/
news/bs-xpm-2011-01-22-bs-ed-omalley-budget-20110122-
story.html.
``Governing In Hard Times.'' The Washington Post. October 17,
2010. (Not found online.)
``Public, private plans rebuild States.'' Co-written with
Christopher Lee. Politico. September 30, 2010. https://
www.politico.com/story/2010/09/public-private-plans-rebuild-
states-042903.
``Kids need environmental literacy.'' The Baltimore Sun. July
27, 2010. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/bs-xpm-2010-07-
27-bs-ed-omalley-nature-20100
727-story.html.
``CitiStat: 10 years of measuring progress.'' Co-written with
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. The Baltimore Sun. June 30, 2010.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/bs-xpm-2010-06-30-bs-ed-
citistat-20100630-story.html.
``Maryland ready to take cyber security industry to the next
level.'' The Baltimore Sun. January 25, 2010. https://
www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/bs-xpm-2010-01-25-bal-op-
security0125-story.html.
``Maryland's Commitment to Advancing Stem Cell Research.''
HuffPost. November 28, 2009. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/
marylands-commitment-to-a_
b_301953.
``Risky for Ratepayers.'' The Baltimore Sun. September 16,
2009. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2009-09-16-
0909150056-story.html.
``Maryland Calls for Unified Action on Contraband Cell
Phones.'' Corrections Today. August 9, 2009. http://
connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/43827434/maryland-calls-
unified-action-contraband-cell-phones.
``America's First Global Warming Cap and Trade Program Is
Working, and Here's Why.'' U.S. News & World Report. July 14,
2009. https://www.usnews.
com/opinion/articles/2009/07/14/americas-first-global-warming-
cap-and-trade-program-is-working-and-heres-why.
``Deal Merits Scrutiny.'' The Baltimore Sun. June 22, 2009.
https://www.
baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2009-06-22-0906210071-story.html.
``Maryland Unveils the Mikulski Express.'' HuffPost. June 6,
2009. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/maryland-unveils-the-
miku_b_198148.
``Maryland Needs to Repeal the Death Penalty--Now.'' HuffPost.
April 2, 2009. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/maryland-needs-
to-repeal_b_171236.
``State Government 2.0: How Technology Will Help Maryland Make
the Most of the Stimulus.'' HuffPost. March 30, 2009. https://
www.huffpost.com/entry/state-government-20-how-t_b_170563.
``Maryland's Hard Lessons in Helping Homeowners.'' The
Washington Post. March 9, 2009. https://www.washingtonpost.com/
wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/08/AR2009030801495.html.
``Congrats to Wicomico County.'' Daily Times (Salisbury, MD).
December 13, 2008. (Not found online.)
``Obama Will Lead Maryland Forward.'' Baltimore Afro-American.
August 30, 2008. (Not found online.)
``States do their part to make ends meet in tough times.'' Co-
written with David Paterson. Star Tribune (Minnesota). August
1, 2008. https://www.star
tribune.com/states-do-their-part-to-make-ends-meet-in-tough-
times/26189839/.
``Take the Maryland `Buy Local' Challenge.'' Daily Times
(Salisbury, MD). July 22, 2008. (Not found online.)
``Dem governors unite behind Obama.'' Co-written with Janet
Napolitano. Politico. June 19, 2008. https://www.politico.com/
story/2008/06/dem-governors-unite-behind-obama-011197.
``Be Prepared for 2008 Storm Season.'' Daily Times (Salisbury,
MD). June 2, 2008. (Not found online.)
``Our Chance to Capture the Center.'' Co-written with Harold
Ford Jr. The Washington Post. August 7, 2007. https://
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/06/
AR2007080601158.html.
``Increasing Independence and Securing Retirement for Maryland
Seniors.'' Campaign policy proposal. 2006. https://
web.archive.org/web/200605071252
23/http://www.martinomalley.com/page/file/
b21efa74c6c8af288c_3om6bxavy.
pdf/Seniors_two-pager_FINAL.pdf.
``Strengthening Maryland's Farming Families and Rural
Communities.'' Campaign policy proposal. 2006. https://
web.archive.org/web/20060507125118/http://
www.martinomalley.com/page/file/ea922ab591fcd6da80
y0m6bxtgf.pdf/Ag_two-pager_FINAL.pdf.
``Opening the Doors of Educational Opportunity for All
Marylanders.'' Campaign policy proposal. 2006. https://
web.archive.org/web/20060507125133/http://
www.martinomalley.com/page/file/
34f8f152e561bae486_rbm6bneqo.pdf/Education_two-pager_FINAL.pdf.
``Defending Maryland Against Rising Energy Prices.'' Campaign
policy proposal. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/
20060507125216/http://www.martin
omalley.com/page/file/e6d5962ec5cffdd90e_b5m6bng2z.pdf/OMalley-
Brown_
Plan_for_More_Affordable Energy.pdf.
``Ensuring a Cleaner, Healthier Maryland.'' Campaign policy
proposal. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060507123905/
http://www.martinomalley.com
/page/file/0615fc2c32b6dc656b_igm6bn85x.pdf/Enviro_two-
pager_FINAL.pdf.
``Fighting for Hard-Working Maryland Families.'' Campaign
policy proposal. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/
20060507123214/http://www.martin
omalley.com/page/file/58a5ab7d1b00868bee_ckm6bxazy.pdf/
Working_Families
_two-pager_FINAL.pdf.
``Providing Affordable, Quality Health Care.'' Campaign policy
proposal. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060507123130/
http://www.martinomalley.com
/page/file/d49fb380c26edb4d3d_rfm6bn80j.pdf/Health_Care_two-
pager_FINAL
.pdf.
``Safeguarding and Securing Maryland.'' Campaign policy
proposal. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060507123231/
http://www.martinomalley.com
/page/file/4bcc0a9d45af07e6d0_jam6bxapy.pdf/
Homeland_Security_two-pager_
FINAL.pdf.
``Making Home Ownership More Affordable.'' Campaign policy
proposal. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060507123615/
http://www.martinomalley.com
/page/file/a4a83859cb7241edbc_ozm6bxqnj.pdf/Housing_two-
pager_FINAL.pdf.
``Creating Better, Higher Paying Jobs for Maryland.'' Campaign
policy proposal. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/
20060507123200/http://www.martin
omalley.com/page/file/391376258684558d1c_dym6bxa1h.pdf/
Jobs_two-pager_
FINAL.pdf.
``Protecting Maryland's Families and Neighborhoods.'' Campaign
policy proposal. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/
20060507125015/http://www.martin
omalley.com/page/file/a03c4a74952547516a_7bm6bx80c.pdf/
Crime_two-pager_
FINAL.pdf.
``Ending Maryland's Traffic Gridlock.'' Campaign policy
proposal. 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060507125127/
http://www.martinomalley.com/page/
file/34fa60ca6b020d52cf_12m6bxt0o.pdf/Transportation_two-
pager_FINAL.pdf.
``State Defies Law on DSS.'' The Baltimore Sun. November 24,
2003. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2003-11-24-
0311240123-story.html.
``And the children shall lead: Baltimore on the rise, greater
strides to be made.'' Baltimore Afro-American. July 25, 2003.
(Not found online.)
``Untold story: City more responsive.'' The Baltimore Sun.
March 7, 2003. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2003-
03-07-0303070390-story.
html.
``Taxing Homeland Security.'' The Washington Post. February 17,
2003. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2003/02/
17/taxing-homeland-security/76d13a32-c6e5-4605-8cf1-
2269bc688cfa/.
``Taxes are investment in Baltimore's future.'' The Baltimore
Sun. May 7, 2001. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-
2001-05-07-0105070264-story.
html.
``Critics overlook strides in city's crime fighting.'' The
Baltimore Sun. March 20, 2001. https://www.baltimoresun.com/
news/bs-xpm-2001-03-20-0103200321-story.html.
``A midnight dreary nevermore.'' The Baltimore Sun. January 26,
2001. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2001-01-26-
0101260110-story.html.
``Rebuilding Baltimore.'' The Baltimore Sun. November 20, 2000.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2000-11-20-0011200183-
story.html.
``Saving Baltimore's streets.'' The Baltimore Sun. June 15,
2000. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2000-06-15-
0006150229-story.html.
``Zero-tolerance only way to cut homicide rate.'' The Baltimore
Sun. January 12, 1999. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-
xpm-1999-01-12-9901120279-story.html.
``With Change There is Hope: A Blueprint for Baltimore's
Future--Restoring Public Safety.'' Councilman Martin O'Malley
Campaign Policy Book. 1999. https://drive.google.com/file/d/
1xgBetm7ctq0mWVSSJ2VtqsbheN-WUvQi/view
?usp=share_link.
``With Change There is Hope: A Blueprint for Baltimore's
Future--Restoring Economic Opportunity, Neighborhoods &
Schools.'' Councilman Martin O'Malley Campaign Policy Book.
1999. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aOF543gj8kmn
ESiJLDk1oKU_UUYpuNhf/view?u_sp=share_link.
16. Speeches (list all formal speeches and presentations (e.g.,
PowerPoint) you have delivered during the past 5 years which are on
topics relevant to the position for which you have been nominated,
including dates):
I have not given any speeches on Social Security in the last 5
years.
17. Qualifications (state what, in your opinion, qualifies you to
serve in the position to which you have been nominated):
I am deeply grateful to the President for nominating me to
serve as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
Because of the executive and performance management skills I
have honed and practice over a lifetime of public service, I am
especially well-qualified to provide Social Security--and the
citizens of our country--with the collaborative, operational,
customer-focused leadership the agency so desires and needs at
this time in its history.
I believe that Social Security is the most far-reaching and
important act of social and economic justice that the people of
the United States have ever enacted. For millions of people
across our country today, Social Security is the difference
between living with dignity or living in poverty.
As President Ronald Reagan said when signing the bipartisan
Social Security Amendments of 1983, ``this bill demonstrates
for all time our Nation's iron-clad commitment to Social
Security. It assures the elderly that America will always keep
the promises made in troubled times a half century ago. It
assures those who are still working that they, too, have a pact
with the future . . . that they will get their fair share of
benefits when they retire.''
But from time to time, even the most important of programs must
be modernized, strengthened, and improved. That was true for
Social Security in 1983 and that is true for Social Security
today. With more timely, accurate information shared by all,
and with a collaborative and relentless regimen of performance
management, we will fulfill two critically important duties. We
will improve customer service, and we will also provide
Congress with the facts they require--as policymakers--to make
the best budgetary and fiscal decisions for all of us.
Over the course of 15 years of executive service, I have
developed a talent for improving the delivery of customer
service in large public service organizations (agencies,
departments, a city, a State, sometimes several States). I've
learned how to improve the delivery of better outcomes and how
to improve customer service delivery through leadership
commitment, openness, transparency, and a collaborative but
relentless process of performance management.
As Mayor, I learned that there is no Democrat or Republican way
to fill a pothole. As Governor, I learned the biggest
challenges can only be tackled with bipartisan support. But as
both a Mayor and as a Governor, I developed a skill for
harnessing information technology in ways that got the best out
of large, siloed organizations that many--inside and outside of
government--thought too unwieldy, too slow, or too steeped in
excuses to change. Using 311 as a single number for all City
customer service complaints. Integrating timely, accurate
information from our call center and customers for continuous
improvement of operations on the front lines. Mapping
complaints and service fulfillments in ways so all could see
not only the high performers, but the outliers and anomalies.
Lifting up the leaders in an unrelenting cadence of
collaborative, operational sprints every 2 weeks. These are the
ways that collaborative leadership transforms organizations to
achieve better results.
It was these techniques--put into practice across the
enterprise of government--that earned my administration the
Kennedy School's Innovations in Government Award from Harvard's
Kennedy School of Government in 2002; and it was these
techniques taken to scale at the State level which caused
Washingtonian Magazine in 2015 to call me ``probably the best
manager in public office today.'' Whether it was making
Maryland's Public Schools #1 in America for 5 years in a row,
driving violent crime to 35-year lows, or working with other
States to reverse a 300-year decline in the health of the
waters of the Chesapeake Bay, the leadership practice of
performance management was at the heart of it all.
The dedicated Federal and State employees whose job it is to
make Social Security work for all of us, have been
underappreciated and understaffed for years. Some critically
important aspects of customer service like wait times on the 1-
800 number and backlogs in making disability determinations
have gone from bad to worse in recent years as the number of
beneficiaries has grown. But with collaborative, operational
leadership and a customer-centered approach, we can create a
winnable game inside the agency that will result in better
customer service for Americans all cross our country.
As a former Governor who dealt every day with large systems,
and as a manager drawn to tough challenges, I am excited by the
opportunity to lead Social Security firmly and quickly into the
future. I have over the years been among and with the
hardworking men and women who work for Social Security at the
Headquarters in Woodlawn. Like the citizens they serve, the
employees of Social Security are patriotic, dedicated, and
hardworking moms and dads who want to do their jobs well and do
right by the people they serve.
It would be the honor of a lifetime to lead them forward as,
together, we overcome the considerable operational challenges
facing the agency at this critical moment. Citizens deserve the
highest level of customer service from their government.
Everyone who has worked hard to earn their Social Security
benefits deserves a timely response and answers to their
questions. I believe Social Security is the most important and
far-reaching program for social justice and the protection of
individual human dignity that our Republic has ever
established. Therefore, we owe it to every American to improve
the level of customer service at Social Security.
B. FUTURE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS
1. Will you sever all connections (including participation in future
benefit arrangements) with your present employers, business firms,
associations, or organizations if you are confirmed by the Senate? If
not, provide details.
Yes.
2. Do you have any plans, commitments, or agreements to pursue
outside employment, with or without compensation, during your service
with the government? If so, provide details.
No.
3. Has any person or entity made a commitment or agreement to employ
your services in any capacity after you leave government service? If
so, provide details.
No.
4. If you are confirmed by the Senate, do you expect to serve out
your full term or until the next presidential election, whichever is
applicable? If not, explain.
Yes.
C. POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
1. Indicate any current and former investments, obligations,
liabilities, or other personal relationships, including spousal or
family employment, which could involve potential conflicts of interest
in the position to which you have been nominated.
In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted
with the Office of Government Ethics and the Designated Agency
Ethics Official at the Social Security Administration to
identify any potential conflict of interest. Any conflict of
interest will be resolved in accordance with the terms of an
ethics agreement that I have entered into with the Social
Security Administration's Designated Agency Ethics Official and
that will be provided to this committee. In the event that an
actual or potential conflict of interest arises during my
appointment, I will consult with the Social Security
Administration's ethics counsel and take the measures necessary
to resolve the conflict.
2. Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial
transaction which you have had during the last 10 years (prior to the
date of your nomination), whether for yourself, on behalf of a client,
or acting as an agent, that could in any way constitute or result in a
possible conflict of interest in the position to which you have been
nominated.
In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted
with the Office of Government Ethics and the Designated Agency
Ethics Official at the Social Security Administration to
identify any potential conflict of interest. Any conflict of
interest will be resolved in accordance with the terms of an
ethics agreement that I have entered into with the Social
Security Administration's Designated Agency Ethics Official and
that will be provided to this committee. In the event that an
actual or potential conflict of interest arises during my
appointment, I will consult with the Social Security
Administration's ethics counsel and take the measures necessary
to resolve the conflict.
3. Describe any activity during the past 10 years (prior to the date
of your nomination) in which you have engaged for the purpose of
directly or indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or modification
of any legislation or affecting the administration and execution of law
or public policy. Activities performed as an employee of the Federal
Government need not be listed.
In 2020, I helped the musicians and supporters of the Baltimore
Symphony Orchestra get support from the State of Maryland.
Also, as a member of the International Commission Against the
Death Penalty, I've frequently urged leaders and legislators
across the globe and in the relevant States to abolish the
death penalty in favor of life without possibility of parole.
My writings on this topic are included in the response to #15
above.
4. Explain how you will resolve any potential conflict of interest,
including any that are disclosed by your responses to the above items.
(Provide the committee with two copies of any trust or other
agreements.)
In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted
with the Office of Government Ethics and the Designated Agency
Ethics Official at the Social Security Administration to
identify any potential conflict of interest. Any conflict of
interest will be resolved in accordance with the terms of an
ethics agreement that I have entered into with the Social
Security Administration's Designated Agency Ethics Official and
that will be provided to this committee. In the event that an
actual or potential conflict of interest arises during my
appointment, I will consult with the Social Security
Administration's ethics counsel and take the measures necessary
to resolve the conflict.
5. Two copies of written opinions should be provided directly to the
committee by the designated agency ethics officer of the agency to
which you have been nominated and by the Office of Government Ethics
concerning potential conflicts of interest or any legal impediments to
your serving in this position.
Provided.
D. LEGAL AND OTHER MATTERS
1. Have you ever been the subject of a complaint or been
investigated, disciplined, or otherwise cited for a breach of ethics
for unprofessional conduct before any court, administrative agency
(e.g., an Inspector General's office), professional association,
disciplinary committee, or other ethics enforcement entity at any time?
Have you ever been interviewed regarding your own conduct as part of
any such inquiry or investigation? If so, provide details, regardless
of the outcome.
No.
2. Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by any
Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority for a violation of
any Federal, State, county, or municipal law, regulation, or ordinance,
other than a minor traffic offense? Have you ever been interviewed
regarding your own conduct as part of any such inquiry or
investigation? If so, provide details.
In 1987, I was found not guilty at trial in the District Court
of Maryland for Montgomery County after being arrested and
charged with Driving Under the Influence.
In 2016, according to press reports, a spokeswoman for the Anne
Arundel County State's attorney confirmed an investigation of
furniture purchases after the end of my term as Governor. I am
not aware of any formal investigation and no charges were ever
filed.
3. Have you ever been involved as a party in interest in any
administrative agency proceeding or civil litigation? If so, provide
details.
As a member of the Baltimore City Council, Mayor of Baltimore
City Council, and as Governor of Maryland, I was frequently and
repeatedly named as a party officially and personally in
numerous legal and administrative suits.
4. Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo
contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic
offense? If so, provide details.
No.
5. Please advise the committee of any additional information,
favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be considered in
connection with your nomination.
None.
E. TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS
1. If you are confirmed by the Senate, are you willing to appear and
testify before any duly constituted committee of the Congress on such
occasions as you may be reasonably requested to do so?
Yes.
2. If you are confirmed by the Senate, are you willing to provide
such information as is requested by such committees?
Yes.
______
Questions Submitted for the Record to Hon. Martin J. O'Malley
Questions Submitted by Hon. Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Question. In recent years, SSA has made important advances in
improving the efficiency and effectiveness of communications with
beneficiaries, which is critical to accomplishing the long-term mission
of the agency. However, SSA still relies on out-of-date technology,
from printers to phone systems. Investment in modern technology is
needed to improve service delivery, decrease costs, and increase
efficiency. Such investments would improve the day-to-day experience of
our Federal workforce and make it easier possible for them to serve
recipients in a more timely and efficient manner.
As Commissioner of SSA, how will you support modernization plans
that leverage technology to better serve beneficiaries, reduce costs,
and improve the experience of the Federal workforce?
Answer. I appreciate the opportunity to highlight a few points
about how I would leverage and modernize technology at SSA, if
confirmed. First and foremost, I believe that it is critical up front--
from the very beginning of the design process--to center two groups of
people: the customers, and the front-line workers who will be directly
using the system. There is no use designing a system that doesn't
effectively serve customers the way they want to be served, or that
produces inefficiencies and impedes front-line workers from doing their
jobs effectively.
Second, we need to make sure that we have the best people not only
from within SSA, but also from across the Federal Government--such as
from partnering with the U.S. Digital Service--and beyond. Third, I
learned early in my career the importance of having an independent firm
to do robust independent verification and validation (IV&V), to prevent
and reduce overruns and delays.
If confirmed, I look forward to applying this approach in service
of improving SSA's technology and operations.
Question. Despite great challenges, the Social Security
Administration rates high in public trust, but the agency has been
starved of resources, leaving staffing at a 25-year low. This
understaffing has led to employee burnout and high rates of turnover.
According to a study from the American Federation of Government
Employees, which represents 42,000 SSA employees, 50 percent of SSA
employees are considering leaving the agency within the next year.
How will you improve employee recruitment and retention? How do you
plan to rebuild employee morale at the agency in addition to technology
upgrades?
Answer. I think that as a new leader, it is important to listen to
what employees have to say about what's going wrong before diving in to
fix things. If confirmed, I plan to engage directly with SSA employees
at all levels, as well as with stakeholders such as employee unions, to
listen to their concerns and develop ways to address them. With
transparency and openness, we can begin to rebuild trust--both the
trust that employees have in their agency's leadership, and the trust
that American people have in this great program of Social Security.
The agency is working with a challenging set of constraints that
will not go away overnight, but I do believe making sure that
leadership is listening to and understands staff perspectives goes a
long way toward improving morale and retention. I have no doubt that
the hardworking, patriotic, and dedicated SSA employees are up to this
moment, and I would be proud to lead them forward.
______
Questions Submitted by Hon. Ron Wyden
Question. My office and other offices throughout Congress often
hear from advocates who represent stakeholders for many of the programs
administered by SSA. In the past, advocates had a standing quarterly
meeting with the Commissioner, and both SSA and the advocates found
these meetings to be very productive in communicating changes and
getting ``on the ground'' information, including policy and practice
reform recommendations.
If confirmed, will you resume these quarterly meetings with the
advocacy community?
Answer. Yes. If confirmed, I want to meet regularly with Social
Security's stakeholders. That certainly includes the advocacy and
beneficiary communities. These regular stakeholder meetings will help
me see new perspectives on Social Security and understand all of the
different considerations that go into SSA's work.
Question. In April 2021, I convened a hearing to examine SSA's
performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and to discuss strategies to
improve service delivery going forward. One lesson we learned from the
pandemic is that Social Security requires a lot of in-person visits
even for simple and straightforward transactions to verify a person's
identity. SSA already deploys strategies to reduce in-person field
office visits, such as leveraging data exchanges with Federal and State
agencies and creating an online portal for customers to submit SSA
forms and documents online.
By reducing in-person requirements for services, it would reduce
wait times for everyone and allow front-line staff to dedicate more
resources to those who need in-person assistance or do not have
reliable access to the Internet. If confirmed, will you prioritize
reducing requirements for in-person visits?
Answer. If confirmed, I will prioritize comprehensively reviewing
SSA's operations and customer service, and seeking ways to make the
agency more effective, both for members of the public and for SSA's
employees. As part of that review, I look forward to examining the
reasons that in-person visits might be required and assessing whether
any changes are warranted.
Question. Over the past several years, SSA has been modernizing its
back-end technology infrastructure to support its front-line staff by
reducing administrative barriers and shortening processing times. SSA
is preparing to begin its next phase of technology modernization,
focusing on customer-facing systems. This has been a top priority for
me, as it would reduce field office foot traffic and allow front-line
staff to dedicate more resources to those who need in-person
assistance.
Throughout your time in public service, you have been a leader in
harnessing technology to improve customer service in the public sector.
What is your general philosophy for IT modernization, and how you would
approach prioritizing various IT projects if confirmed?
Answer. I appreciate the opportunity to highlight a few points
about my IT modernization philosophy as I would apply it at SSA, if
confirmed. First and foremost, it is critical up front--from the very
beginning of the design process--to center two groups of people: the
customers, and the front-line workers who will be directly using the
system. There is no use designing a system that doesn't effectively
serve customers the way they want to be served, or that produces
inefficiencies and impedes front-line workers from doing their jobs
effectively.
Second, we need to make sure that we have the best people not only
from within SSA, but also from across the Federal Government--such as
from partnering with the U.S. Digital Service--and beyond. Third, I
learned early in my career the importance of having an independent firm
to do robust independent verification and validation (IV&V), to prevent
and reduce overruns and delays.
If confirmed, I look forward to applying this approach in service
of improving SSA's technology and operations. To prioritize among
projects, I would look to assessments of which ones would have the most
impact or get the most ``bang for the buck'' in terms of improving
SSA's customer service.
Question. In 2011, the Social Security Administration was ranked as
one of the best places to work in the Federal Government by the Office
of Personnel Management Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS).
However, earlier this year, the Social Security Administration was
ranked as the worst place to work among large agencies. I am concerned
with the agency's ability to recruit and retain quality staff, which
will have a significant impact on the agency's ability to modernize its
systems, process claims, and otherwise serve the American people.
What is your plan to restore employee morale?
Answer. I think that as a new leader, it is important to listen to
what employees have to say about what's going wrong before diving in to
fix things. If confirmed, I plan to engage directly with SSA employees
at all levels, as well as with stakeholders such as employee unions, to
listen to their concerns and develop ways to address them. With
transparency and openness, we can begin to rebuild trust--both the
trust that employees have in their agency's leadership, and the trust
that American people have in this great program of Social Security.
The agency is working with a challenging set of constraints that
will not go away overnight, but I do believe making sure that
leadership is listening to and understands staff perspectives goes a
long way toward improving morale. I have no doubt that the hard-
working, patriotic, and dedicated SSA employees are up to this moment,
and I would be proud to lead them forward.
Question. As you may know, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
program provides critical support for some of our most vulnerable
communities. However, individuals seeking to apply for SSI benefits
face significant administrative barriers to accessing this lifeline.
The current SSI application form stretches over 20 pages long and
cannot be completed online. Senators Brown, Casey, and I have urged the
agency to prioritize simplifying the SSI application and to make it
accessible online.
If confirmed, will you prioritize simplifying the SSI application
and making it available online for applicants?
Answer. It is my strong belief that if someone is eligible for
benefits, they should be able to get them. They should not face long
wait times for an appointment, nor should they face incomprehensible
application forms and unnecessary red tape. If confirmed, I look
forward to assessing the agency's plans for SSI simplification and
online applications, and seeing where we can accelerate or strengthen
them. This is a key priority.
______
Questions Submitted by Hon. John Barrasso
Question. As someone who served in political positions for many
years, you have taken public stances on numerous policy matters,
including issues facing the Social Security Administration. The role of
the Social Security Commissioner has historically been an
administrative position and one that is nonpartisan. It has not been a
role where the Commissioner acts as an outspoken ``advocate.''
Do you commit to setting aside your political and personal policy
agenda in order to carry out the mission and role of the agency?
Answer. Yes. If confirmed, my focus would be on managing the agency
and providing the best customer service to the American people. I
believe the Commissioner's role in any major reform effort is to
provide the best information and most accurate numbers to Congress and
the President as they evaluate policy choices. I would advocate for the
agency, but not for or against policies.
Question. As Commissioner of the SSA, would you promote some of the
payroll tax increase proposals you advocated for in the past?
Answer. I am no longer a candidate for elected office. My role as
Commissioner--if confirmed--would not be to promote any particular
policy proposal but rather to improve the operations and customer
service at the agency.
I support the President's budget, which reaffirms the
administration's commitment to protecting and strengthening the Social
Security program and pledges to work with Congress to strengthen Social
Security by ensuring high-income individuals pay their fair share.
Question. I have worked in a bipartisan manner for the last decade
in sponsoring the Expedited Disability Insurance Payments for
Terminally Ill Individuals Act. Individuals who are given less than 6
months to live are currently forced to wait more than 5 months to
receive their Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Our
bipartisan bill will ensure people with terminal illnesses receive
disability benefits in a timely manner while still preserving the
integrity of the system.
What are your views on the need to streamline and expedite SSDI
benefits for terminally ill individuals?
Answer. If confirmed, as Commissioner my focus will be on
effectively administering the SSDI program under current law, and on
providing timely customer service to the American people. I look
forward to learning more about the ways that SSA currently expedites
benefit approval in certain situations, including for some individuals
with terminal illnesses, and to examining whether there are ways to
improve this process.
Question. Will you commit to working with my office, including
providing technical assistance as needed, on the Expedited Disability
Insurance Payments for Terminally Ill Individuals Act?
Answer. Yes. I have committed that, if confirmed, I will work to
provide the best information and most accurate numbers possible to
Congress and the President as they evaluate policy choices. I would be
happy to provide technical assistance on this bill and any others you
may be considering.
Question. You have made it clear that you were aware of some of the
issues plaguing the Social Security Administration. You flagged long
wait times for phone and in-person service. You also mentioned issues
with disability determinations. For example, the average time from
application to initial decision on disability claims has nearly doubled
from 120 days before the pandemic, to now more than 220 days.
What are your high-level plans for carrying out performance
management and improving customer service?
Answer. SSA faces a customer service crisis. The current wait
times, backlogs, and delays are simply unacceptable, and we must do
better. It is my strong belief that the public deserves the highest
level of customer service from their government. We owe it to every
American to improve the level of customer service at Social Security so
people can get answers to their questions and get their benefit
applications decided in a timely manner.
I believe I was nominated for this position because I have the
leadership skills, the management skills, and the experience needed at
this moment to lead SSA forward. I wholeheartedly commit to making
customer service improvements a top priority, starting with improving
phone service and reducing disability delays. If confirmed, I plan to
comprehensively review the agency's customer service plans, assess how
we can improve them, and then move quickly to implement those
improvements and measure their success.
Question. How do you plan to track and improve the effectiveness,
efficiency, and accountability in the SSA organization? and What ideas
do you have for tracking and quantifying improvements to the
effectiveness and efficiency of the agency, as well as ideas for
instilling accountability in the SSA organization?
Answer. As both a Mayor and as a Governor, I developed a discipline
for harnessing data and information technology in ways that got the
best out of large, siloed organizations of people that many--inside and
outside of government--thought too unwieldy, too slow, or too steeped
in excuses to change. One of the ways I've learned to do this is by
bringing people together in a regular cadence to review the data and
measure performance--creating both accountability and collaboration. If
confirmed, I look forward to applying these strategies, and others,
toward improving SSA's customer service.
Question. In 1994, Congress passed the Social Security Independence
and Program Improvement Act. This bill established a bipartisan Social
Security Advisory Board. Members of the Board are appointed by Congress
and the White House. The Board consists of outside experts who help
make recommendations in how best to administer and strengthen Social
Security. They make suggestions to help improve service quality and
performance. They advise not only the administration and the
Commissioner, but also Congress, and even help educate the public. They
can be a valuable resource to help carry out the mission of the Social
Security Administration.
If you are confirmed, what are your plans to engage with the Social
Security Advisory Board? Will you plan to consult with the Advisory
Board on ways to improve the Social Security Administration?
Answer. Yes, if confirmed, I will engage and consult with the
Social Security Advisory Board to gain their expertise and their
perspectives on how to improve SSA's customer service. I believe
hearing a range of perspectives--and truly listening to the input--is
invaluable for understanding and improving the operations of any
complex program, and that will certainly be how I approach my role at
SSA.
______
Questions Submitted by Hon. Bill Cassidy
Question. It is my understanding that SSA used to publish clear
productivity data online in their annual ``Performance and
Accountability Reports'' until 2002. These reports provided
productivity data points like ``cost per retirement claim.'' Until
recently, SSA only had ``Agency Financial Reports'' available online
since 2014, which provide very little performance data and mainly focus
on output data. After our meeting, SSA did put a few more reports back
up on their website, and I want to thank you for that great first step.
In recent years, when asking Congress for more money for
operations, SSA has been relying on ``output data,'' as opposed to
``performance data.'' In other words, SSA has been using the Golden
Arches (McDonald's) model of data dissemination to lobby for money
(i.e., ``Millions and Millions Served''). SSA has also been comparing
funds received by Congress to employee headcount, and going to interest
groups and the media to try to justify and lobby for funding increases.
Other organizations doing similar work have successfully increased
productivity via the use of technology and improved processes, without
needing to focus as heavily on increased staffing.
Would you be willing to work with Congress and the Social Security
Advisory Board to compile a reliable set of historical SSA performance
metrics so Congress can better understand how SSA uses its allocated
funding? If so, when could we expect this to be completed?
Answer. I share your interest in useful data and metrics, and I
look forward to diving into SSA's data if confirmed. As both a Mayor
and as a Governor, I developed a discipline for harnessing data and
information technology in ways that got the best out of large, siloed
organizations of people that many--inside and outside of government--
thought too unwieldy, too slow, or too steeped in excuses to change.
One of the ways I've learned to do this is by bringing people together
in a regular cadence to review the data and measure performance--
creating both accountability and collaboration. And these reviews
certainly need to include data that indicate performance, tactics, and
strategies, not just final outputs.
If confirmed, I look forward to reviewing this data and examining
ways to make it more useful to Congress and others. I would be glad to
work with you and with the Social Security Advisory Board on this. I
would hope to provide some top-line performance metrics within 90 days
depending on the availability of historic data.
Question. Louisiana was one of 10 States that was part of a pilot
program that eliminated the reconsideration step of the Social Security
disability application process. When Congress allowed SSA to end this
pilot program in 2019, SSA promised to provide research on the effect
of this change to Congress. However, this data was never provided.
After this change, the disability application backlog in Louisiana has
ballooned, creating situations where some applicants experienced waits
that grew by over a year on top of what the previously too long wait
times were prior to the change. There are a number of disability
applicants in Louisiana who are dying before they get a chance to have
their case heard before an administrative law judge--that is simply
unacceptable.
Since the data on this change is easily available to SSA
researchers, this should be a pretty easy report for the agency to
complete. Will you commit to providing a full report on the effect of
ending the 10-State Reconsideration Pilot Project to Congress within 6
months of your confirmation?
Answer. I have pledged that, if I am confirmed, I will immediately
review the entire disability program from start to finish, and work
with agency experts and other stakeholders to explore options for
improving the entire process. I fully expect that this review will
include looking at the effects that reinstating the reconsideration
step has had on both applicants and the agency, and I will report to
Congress on this matter within 6 months of my confirmation.
______
Questions Submitted by Hon. Mike Crapo
Question. During your nomination hearing, you stated that it is
Congress's prerogative to make policy decisions about improving Social
Security's solvency and that you ``would not step on that
prerogative.'' However, in response to questioning, you also seemed to
express your opposition to a policy dial that has been debated in
Social Security solvency proposals. If confirmed, do you commit that
you will not weigh in on policy decisions beyond providing Congress
with information about the program's finances and the estimated
financial effects of various policy options?
Answer. I do. My intent was not to weigh in on a specific policy
dial, but rather to provide our Nation's duly elected policymakers--
such as you and your colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee--with
the best information you need to make policy decisions on Social
Security.
Question. In your testimony and responses to questions, you
discussed many of the operational and customer service challenges
facing the Social Security Administration. If confirmed, how
specifically will you determine which key indicators to track to
determine if the tactics and strategies in place are working to improve
operations and customer service? Please detail the considerations that
will factor into these decisions.
Answer. As both a Mayor and as a Governor, I developed a discipline
for harnessing data and information technology in ways that got the
best out of large, siloed organizations of people that many--inside and
outside of government--thought too unwieldy, too slow, or too steeped
in excuses to change. One of the ways I've learned to do this is by
bringing people together in a regular cadence to review the data and
measure performance--creating both accountability and collaboration.
Regarding specific key indicators, I look forward to diving into
SSA's data, if confirmed. I can tell you that from where I sit right
now, it appears to me that SSA's lagging performance indicators--such
as call wait times and delays for applicants--are clear; what's not
clear is the tactics and strategies needed to combat them. By mapping
the current process and listening critically to the suggestions for
improvement from front-line managers and workers, we will prioritize
the leading actions which bring about the greatest value to improve the
customer journey and the efficiency of workflows. Useful indicators
need to not just be easily measured and monitored, but must also be
meaningful gauges of what's happening. If confirmed, I aim to harness
the agency's data to actually measure the strategies, not just the
outcomes--and then to build on that information to improve customer
service.
Question. Given the amount of information and range of services
available behind the My Social Security online portal, it is crucial
that the Social Security Administration's digital identity verification
process complies with Federal requirements. The SSA Office of the
Inspector General recently found that the SSA's digital identity
verification controls for the My Social Security portal do not fully
meet Federal standards. If confirmed, how would you ensure that the
SSA's digital identity verification processes meet all necessary
standards going forward?
Answer. SSA's online services are an important part of the agency's
service to the public, and I am committed to continuing to improve
them. While I am not an expert on digital identity, if confirmed, I
look forward to working with the relevant experts at SSA and across the
Federal Government to review the current processes and standards, as
well as the OIG report, and to seek improvements where warranted. I aim
to hold the agency to high standards across the board, and I believe we
can deliver on that.
______
Questions Submitted by Hon. Steve Daines
Question. Thousands of Montanans rely on Social Security payments,
but unfortunately, we hear all too often the struggles they have
getting assistance from the Social Security Administration (SSA),
including long wait times to speak to a representative and navigating
the website.
If you are confirmed, what steps will you take to address the
customer service challenges facing SSA?
Answer. I share your concerns with SSA's customer service crisis.
The current wait times, backlogs, and delays are simply unacceptable,
and we must do better. It is my strong belief that the public deserves
the highest level of customer service from their government. We owe it
to every American to improve the level of customer service at Social
Security so people can get answers to their questions and get their
benefit applications decided in a timely manner.
I believe I was nominated for this position because I have the
leadership skills, the management skills, and the experience needed at
this moment to lead SSA forward. I wholeheartedly commit to making
customer service improvements a top priority. If confirmed, I plan to
comprehensively review the agency's customer service plans, assess how
we can improve them, and then move quickly to implement those
improvements and measure their success.
As both a Mayor and as a Governor, I developed a discipline for
harnessing data and information technology in ways that got the best
out of large, siloed organizations of people that many--inside and
outside of government--thought too unwieldy, too slow, or too steeped
in excuses to change. One of the ways I've learned to do this is by
bringing people together in a regular cadence to review the data and
measure performance--creating both accountability and collaboration. If
confirmed, I look forward to applying these strategies, and others,
toward improving SSA's customer service.
Question. SSA relies on their information technology (IT)
infrastructure to provide individuals their benefits and as you said in
your hearing, ``keep the trains running on time.''
How will you determine what IT changes need to be implemented at
SSA and ensure that any technology modernizations will be effective and
not interfere with individuals receiving their benefits?
Answer. First and foremost, I believe that it is critical up
front--from the very beginning of the technology modernization or
design process--to center two groups of people: the customers, and the
front-line workers who will be directly using the system. There is no
use designing a system that doesn't effectively serve customers the way
they want to be served, or that produces inefficiencies and impedes
front-line workers from doing their jobs effectively. Not only should
any changes ``not interfere'' with individuals receiving their
benefits, as you said, but the changes should actually improve
individuals' ability to receive prompt, accurate, and responsive
service from SSA.
Question. If you are confirmed for this position, you will be at
the front lines of all aspects of Social Security, including solvency.
In your testimony, you mentioned that your job includes providing
Congress data, evidence, and information for legislative solutions to
be developed.
What concrete steps will you take to ensure members of Congress
receive both accurate and comprehensive metrics in a timely fashion?
Answer. As you noted, I have pledged that--if confirmed--I will
ensure that you and your colleagues in Congress receive the best
information possible to facilitate your policy decisions and
deliberations on Social Security. While I do not know at this time what
specific steps will be needed, I look forward to working with you and
your colleagues on this. I hope that by providing timely and accurate
information, we can protect a spirit of trust, civility, and honesty in
these discussions.
In addition, I have long been a strong believer in timely, accurate
data shared by all. I've found in my past experience that a focus on
data for all, combined with regular accountability and collaboration,
helps to create a winnable game for employees and improve performance
across the board, even--especially--in large agencies.
Question. The telework policy at SSA has been at the forefront of
many conversations surrounding staffing at the administration and how
it functions on the whole.
Please provide specific data you will use when evaluating SSA's
telework policy and in determining how and when employees should return
to work.
Answer. I believe strongly that if someone wants a face-to-face
meeting with a Social Security employee to claim their benefits or for
any other reason, they should be able to get one. In my view, that must
be the key test of the agency's telework policies. In addition to that
key metric, SSA's telework policies must also support its recruitment
and retention needs, because adequate staffing is key to the ability to
improve customer service.
______
Questions Submitted by Hon. James Lankford
Question. I have previously raised the distinction between
administrative law judges (ALJs) and administrative appeals judges
(AAJs) in the appeals process and the increasing backlog at the Social
Security Administration (SSA). Stakeholders have raised structural and
due process concerns, particularly that AAJs are not bound to follow
APA procedures and do not have the same job protections designed to
encourage independent decision-making.
What is your viewpoint on the use of administrative law judges
(ALJs) versus administrative appeal judges (AAJs)?
Answer. I am not yet familiar with the particulars of these two
roles, but if confirmed, I look forward to learning more about them
from experts at SSA and beyond. I can tell you that it is my strong
belief that the public deserves the highest level of customer service
from their government, including the appropriate due process rights and
an appropriate structure for deciding disability claims. If confirmed,
I will review the disability adjudication process from start to finish,
and will work with agency experts and other stakeholders to explore
options for improving the entire process, including the appropriate
roles of ALJs and AAJs.
Question. From your perspective, what oversight or process reform
is needed to root out ALJs who have a high over-turn rate on appeals or
denials? Additionally, how will you appropriately work with the Office
of Inspector General on such matters?
Answer. As noted above, I have committed to review the disability
adjudication process from start to finish, and to work with agency
experts and other stakeholders to explore options for improving the
entire process. I plan to use data and metrics in this review in order
to identify anomalies and hold individuals accountable for their
performance.
If confirmed, I also look forward to learning more about SSA's
existing partnership with the Office of Inspector General, and
examining how it can be strengthened. My intent is to partner closely
with the OIG in service of improving SSA's effectiveness and
stewardship of the trust funds.
______
Questions Submitted by Hon. Tim Scott
Question. I would like to discuss the Social Security
Administration's (SAA) work to prevent synthetic identity fraud.
Criminals create a synthetic identity by combining Social Security
numbers (SSNs), names, and birth dates of multiple people or by
combining real information about a single person with fabricated
information. A criminal uses this identity to apply for credit and
eventually will be successful, building a credit profile over time, and
finally, obtaining a large amount of credit, with no intent to repay
ruining credit scores and lives. A frequent target of this fraud is
children, as most parents are not checking their child's credit reports
and the child's SSN is rarely used. This fraud is reported to be the
fastest growing type of financial crime. Synthetic identity fraud is
more prevalent in the U.S. than in other countries due in part to a
strong reliance on SSNs as identifiers.
Therefore, SSA holds the key to stopping this fraud. SSA's
Electronic Consent Based SSN Verification (``eCBSV'') system is aimed
to do just that. It provides financial institutions, and their service
providers, the ability to get a real-time response as to whether the
name, SSN, and date of birth submitted to the financial institution
match SSA's records. If there is no match, that is an indication that
it may be a case of synthetic identity fraud. However, sometimes the
``no match'' is due to a simple typo or the use of a nickname instead
of a legal name.
Under your leadership, is SSA committed to continuing eCBSV and
working with the financial services industry (and other industries) to
improve the system to be more effective and efficient?
Answer. Yes. I am a strong believer in working collaboratively with
stakeholders. If confirmed, I look forward to learning more about eCBSV
and working collaboratively with stakeholders across industry and
Congress to make sure the system is working effectively and
efficiently.
Question. There are estimates that 1 million children every year
are victims of identity fraud, and another estimate that 10 percent of
all people under the age of 18 have been victims of identity fraud.
Congress's directive to SSA to create a real-time synthetic identity
fraud prevention platform (eCBSV) and using this platform protects
consumers and saves millions of dollars. One bank estimates that use of
the eCBSV saved over $110 million in credit card and deposit account
fraud in 2022 alone. With this congressional mandate and as the issuer
of SSNs, do you agree that part of SSA's mission is preventing
synthetic identity fraud through the operation of eCBSV?
Answer. SSA's mission is providing Social Security and Supplemental
Security Income benefits to millions of Americans, as well as
faithfully executing other responsibilities in the law. If confirmed, I
am committed to carrying out that mission, including operating the
eCBSV program.
Question. SSA's eCBSV system is working as Congress intended, with
one bank reporting that it saved $70 million in fraud prevention in the
first year of using the system. Congress dictated that SSA's costs to
build and operate the eCBSV system be fully recovered from the users of
the system. That law did not mandate the period of time to recover
funds, although it is acknowledged that Appropriations law does require
the agency to recover funds within 6 years of expenditure.
Unfortunately, SSA has decided to accelerate the time frame to
recover the costs. To do that, SSA has substantially increased the fees
for using the system, with some users being asked to pay more than 22
times what they originally paid, for the exact same system. There are
serious concerns that unless SSA makes substantial adjustments to the
cost recovery plan, current and future users will be deterred from
using this system.
Will you commit to working with the current and future users of the
system as well as Congress on extending the time frame for cost
recovery to ensure eCBSV is effective as possible?
Answer. If confirmed, I plan to review the current eCBSV operations
and policies, and assess whether changes are needed. I look forward to
working with current and future users of the system as well as with
Congress as I do so. I am a strong believer in working collaboratively
with stakeholders, and I expect that the feedback will be useful in
assessing eCBSV to make sure it is working as effectively as possible.
______
Questions Submitted by Hon. John Thune
Question. SSA customer service backlog: I have heard from hundreds
of constituents about their frustrations with long wait times and
unanswered calls to SSA's customer service phone line. Even SSA's own
work plan states that the speed of answering calls is estimated to
increase this year to 35 minutes and the busy rate will increase to 15
percent. SSA has stated that ``providing quality service to the public
is critical to our mission'' yet customers continue to experience long
wait times and delays in getting the help they need with their
benefits.
If you are confirmed, how will you work to address these long wait
times and delays the public is experiencing? Can you commit to reducing
call wait times and reducing the busy rate?
Answer. I share your concerns. As I said in my testimony, SSA faces
a customer service crisis. The current wait times, backlogs, and delays
are simply unacceptable, and we must do better. It is my strong belief
that the public deserves the highest level of customer service from
their government. We owe it to every American to improve the level of
customer service at Social Security so people can get answers to their
questions and get their benefit applications decided in a timely
manner.
I believe I was nominated for this position because I have the
leadership skills, the management skills, and the experience needed at
this moment to lead SSA forward. I wholeheartedly commit to making
customer service improvements my top priority, starting with improving
phone service and reducing disability delays. If confirmed, I plan to
comprehensively review the agency's customer service plans, assess how
we can improve them, and then move quickly to implement those
improvements and measure their success.
Question. SSA in-person offices: While I understand a number of
Social Security services can be accessed online, there are still
services that are not available online, where a person must visit an
office in-person. Earlier this year, a constituent reached out to my
office because their closest Social Security office in Pierre, SD was
not offering in-person services, even though they had a person on
staff. This office has not offered in-person services since March 2020.
When I inquired with Social Security, they informed me that even with
the end of the public health emergency, they still did not offer in-
person services at this location. As you know, South Dakota is a very
rural State so when this office is closed, individuals have to drive
hours to the next nearest location.
If you are confirmed, what will you do to ensure there is adequate
staffing at Social Security offices? Can you commit to offering in-
person services at offices, like the one in Pierre?
Answer. I believe strongly that if someone wants a face-to-face
meeting with a Social Security employee to claim their benefits or for
any other reason, they should be able to get one. If confirmed, I look
forward to learning more about the specific situation in Pierre and
working with you to find a path forward to serve your constituents.
Question. SSA overpayments: Social Security's most recent reports
estimate that SSA made $13.6 billion in improper payments in FY 2022.
According to OIG, improper payments are occurring for a number of
reasons, but often it is due to a reliance on manual processes and
insufficient or incorrect data. Improper payments have a detrimental
impact on the fiscal stability of the program and on beneficiaries who
may owe back payments or have been underpaid. The OIG has made hundreds
of recommendations to address improper payments but of 299
recommendations made in the past 5 years, there are 76 outstanding
recommendations.
If confirmed, how will you address the issue of improper payments?
Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to learning more about how SSA
prevents and addresses improper payments, and about the status of the
outstanding OIG recommendations. I am committed to improving SSA's
operations by focusing on frequent, in-depth, operational reviews of
what's working and what's not, and by listening to the front-line
employees who are doing the work.
As both a Mayor and as a Governor, I developed a discipline for
harnessing data and information technology in ways that got the best
out of large, siloed organizations of people that many--inside and
outside of government--thought too unwieldy, too slow, or too steeped
in excuses to change. If confirmed, I look forward to implementing
similar changes at SSA in ways that I hope and expect would help reduce
improper payments.
Question. UI and SSDI duplicate payments: In past presidential
budget requests, administrations of both parties have requested that
Congress address the issue of overlapping payments of unemployment
insurance and SSDI.
Is this a problem that you are aware of and, if so, do you have a
sense as to how common these instances of duplicative payments are?
Answer. I am aware of this issue. According to the Congressional
Research Service,\1\ SSA ``estimates that for each month in 2015, an
average of about 0.34 percent of disabled-worker beneficiaries''
received both SSDI and UI (approximately 30,000 people). If confirmed,
I stand ready to work with you and your colleagues on this issue and
provide any data and information requested.
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\1\ https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R43471/7.
______
Questions Submitted by Hon. Todd Young
Question. One of the issues my team continues to hear from
constituents on is the time it takes for the SSA to approve individuals
to receive SSDI benefits. It often takes months for individuals to hear
back from the agency initially, and many times it is only for them to
be denied. Then, once someone is finally approved to receive SSDI, it
also takes the payment centers additional time (often months) to
determine the level of monthly benefit the individual should receive.
As an example, one of my constituents from Greensburg, IN was
favorably awarded SSDI in January and they are still awaiting benefits
nearly 10 months later.
If confirmed, how would you aim to address this issue and help
ensure SSDI recipients are approved and receive their benefits in a
timely fashion?
Answer. I share your concerns. As I said in my testimony, SSA faces
a customer service crisis. The current wait times, backlogs, and delays
are simply unacceptable, and we must do better. It is my strong belief
that the public deserves the highest level of customer service from
their government. We owe it to every American to improve the level of
customer service at Social Security so people can get answers to their
questions and get their benefit applications decided in a timely
manner.
I believe I was nominated for this position because I have the
leadership skills, the management skills, and the experience needed at
this moment to lead SSA forward. I wholeheartedly commit to making
customer service improvements my top priority, starting with reducing
disability delays and improving phone service. If confirmed, I plan to
review the disability adjudication process from start to finish, and
will work with agency experts and other stakeholders to explore options
for improving the entire process.
Question. Will you commit to working with my office to resolve
cases, such as the one I've noted above, in a timely fashion?
Answer. Yes. If confirmed, I look forward to working with your
office to ensure cases such as this one are resolved in a timely
fashion.
Question. During your nominations hearing you noted that ``the main
test for if we have staffing right in the field offices is whether
people who want face-to-face meetings can get them.''
The day after your nominations hearing, my office was contacted by
a constituent from Elkhart, IN who visited the SSA field office looking
for help enrolling and managing her Medicare Part A benefits. She was
advised to make an online appointment, but requested the opportunity to
work with a representative in person. The clerk told her that she was
unable to schedule an in-person appointment. Furthermore, the clerk was
unable to set up an appointment via the phone before the end of the
year and the 2024 schedule apparently isn't available at this time.
This is of particular concern given the limited time an individual has
to enroll. Whether it be as a result of workforce shortages,
insufficient telework policies, or a combination of both, constituents
in my State who want face-to-face meetings currently cannot get them.
If confirmed, how will you ensure that people who want face-to-face
meetings are able to schedule those appointments in a timely manner?
Answer. It is my strong belief that the public deserves the highest
level of customer service from their government--and that is clearly
not what your constituent received. We owe it to every American to
improve the level of customer service at Social Security so people can
conduct their business and get in-person appointments in a timely
manner. If confirmed, I will examine in detail what the problems are,
how we got to this point, and will develop a comprehensive plan to
improve customer service, including the ability to schedule face-to-
face appointments in a timely manner.
Question. A 2022 Office of the Inspector General report noted that
in fiscal year 2021, the agency reported $21.6 billion in unrecovered
overpayments.\2\ This includes individuals who were incorrectly granted
excess survivor benefits as minors. These overpayments are then not
realized until the individuals are able to withdrawal from their Social
Security benefits, often decades later.
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\2\ https://oig.ssa.gov/assets/uploads/a-02-21-51120.pdf.
As an example, one of my constituents from Fishers, IN received
survivor benefits upon his mother's death in 1980. The agency continued
to send benefits to this individual's father on his behalf for 5 months
after he turned 18. Forty-three years later, he now owes the agency
over $2,000 as a result of those overpayments. This individual's only
income is SSDI, and he is now struggling to pay the agency back. My
office often hears stories like this, where retired individuals
struggling to make ends meet are hit with exorbitant back payments
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
decades after the initial benefits were incorrectly received.
If confirmed, how will you ensure that the agency is correctly
distributing benefits and avoiding a large backlog of overpayments?
Answer. I have seen similar reports about beneficiaries
experiencing overpayments and the hardships they experience as a
result, and I share your concerns. If confirmed, I plan to look into
this and see what we can do to better protect beneficiaries, in
addition to protecting the Social Security trust funds. As you noted,
by improving the agency's accuracy and service, some overpayments may
be preventable--which would be a win both for beneficiaries and for the
agency. I look forward to working with the Office of the Inspector
General and others on these important improvements.
Question. On October 30th, the Biden administration released an
executive order (EO) titled the ``Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy
Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.'' Most notably, the EO
directs the Office of Management and Budget to provide recommendations
to agencies to streamline artificial intelligence (AI) acquisitions,
provide guidance on appropriate internal uses of AI, and ``plan a
national surge in AI talent in government.'' As a major purchaser of AI
technology, the Federal Government has the opportunity to shape
industry-wide adoption of safe AI systems.
What are your views on AI?
Answer. I am not an expert on the rapidly evolving AI field, but I
look forward to learning more from experts at SSA and beyond. On this
and other technology issues, it is critical that we make sure that we
have the best people not only from within SSA, but also from across the
Federal Government--such as from partnering with the U.S. Digital
Service--and beyond.
Question. If confirmed, how will you approach decisions related to
the implementation of AI technology?
Answer. As I said, I am not an expert in AI, but I look forward to
learning from those who are. As an operational leader, I recognize that
I don't need to have all of the answers; if I can ask the right
questions of the right people, we can move forward together. I have
said before that my top priority and my North Star at SSA, if I am
confirmed, will be improving customer service; that goal will guide my
decisions.
Question. In your testimony, you noted that one of your primary
focuses will be improving customer service at the SSA and that the
agency ``needs to be open to the private sector and the things they're
already doing that we can learn from.'' You also highlighted that you
``will need to do a rapid assessment of systems, the alignment of those
systems'' and in doing so, the customer will be in the forefront of
your mind.
Today the SSA utilizes multiple credential service providers to
verify users' identities when opening a My Social Security account.
These providers are responsible for providing both the user with a
pathway to securely prove their identity and the SSA with the assurance
that the owner of the account is legitimate. Therefore, understanding
the security and efficacy of their support of SSA's services at log-in
is essential.
If confirmed, will you provide an assessment of the performance of
these providers at the SSA and provide specific data on consumer
experience and fraud mitigation, with relevant recommendations to the
committee?
Answer. Yes, I will provide the committee with data and information
on these topics following my reviews. I am not an expert on the rapidly
evolving digital identity field, but I look forward to learning more
from SSA and other relevant experts, and then assessing whether SSA's
digital identity providers are meeting the needs of the agency and the
public.
Question. Will you commit to making data-driven decisions about
SSA's customer-facing systems, provide choice to users, and ensure that
those options are as user-friendly and secure as possible?
Answer. Yes, I will gladly commit to this. I have decades of
experience in harnessing data to make data-driven decisions at large
agencies, and I look forward to doing the same at SSA, if I am
confirmed. Regarding technology, it is my strong belief that technology
systems must be designed with two groups of people front and center
from the very start: the customers, and the front-line employees who
will be using the system.
______
Prepared Statement of Hon. Ron Wyden,
a U.S. Senator From Oregon
This morning we are meeting to consider the nomination of Governor
Martin O'Malley to be Commissioner of Social Security Administration.
Before we get to Governor O'Malley, I want to welcome our most
esteemed former colleague, a giant of the Senate and Maryland's
matriarch, Barbara Mikulski. I have known Senator Mikulski for over 20
years, and for our colleagues who did not have the pleasure of serving
with her in the Senate: if Barbara is on your side, you're running with
the right crowd.
Now to Governor O'Malley. I want to thank you for your willingness
to serve in this distinguished role, and a lifetime of public service.
Over his career in public service, Governor O'Malley built a world-
class reputation for harnessing technology to deliver transformative
change to government services on behalf of Marylanders. As Mayor of
Baltimore, he established the Nation's first 311 call center, serving
as Baltimorean's one-stop shop for all city services. As Governor, he
``threw open the doors of government'' and created an open web portal
allowing all Marylanders to monitor the State's performance in serving
the public in real time.
With a track record like that, I am not surprised the President
nominated him to serve, because that is what's sorely needed at the
Social Security Administration.
SSA is responsible for administering benefits to over 70 million
seniors, people with disabilities, surviving spouses, and other
Americans who earned their benefits with every paycheck. Colleagues, it
is no secret that SSA has had its share of difficulties, and it has
received significant media attention when the agency has fallen short
of its mission--from long lines stretched around field offices,
telephone systems crashing, outdated technology and systems, and most
concerning, low staff morale. These criticisms are fair, and I, along
with many members on both sides of the dais, have gone after waste,
fraud, and abuse to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely and to
improve customer service.
That said, with the power of the purse and the pen, we in Congress
need to take responsibility here as well. SSA's performance--both its
successes and failures--is inextricably linked to the tools and
resources we provide to the agency. It is not surprising that customer
service performance and staff morale improved as funding levels rose.
It is also not surprising that backlogs and wait times grew as funding
levels fell.
SSA's budget has been through the ringer over the last decade.
Since 2010, SSA's budget has fallen by 17 percent while the number of
beneficiaries has risen by 20 percent. In short, the agency has had to
do more with less.
Now, I've thrown some numbers at you, but what does this mean
outside of Washington? It means seniors who have worked their whole
lives and earned these benefits are having to wait in lines around the
block to get assistance. It means parents or grandparents with disabled
children are waiting months, if not years, to get a decision on
disability benefits. It means SSA's dedicated employees become
overworked, burned out, and leave to work elsewhere.
Every member on this dais has talked about how important Social
Security is to their constituents, and that we should never cut
benefits. I agree. Every single American who worked their entire lives
and paid into Social Security deserves nothing less than platinum-level
service--full stop.
Well, a cut to SSA funding is a cut to benefits. If folks are not
able to get a hold of someone at SSA to get assistance, that is in
essence a 100-percent cut to their benefits. I hope we can work
together to make sure that SSA has sufficient funding to bring the
agency into the 21st century.
In addition to the agency's funding woes, SSA is also beholden to
the laws Congress passes. Let me give you an example. I have a
constituent in Albany, OR who receives SSI benefits because of a severe
disability and lives in her parents' home. Although she is unable to
work because of her disability, she still paid half of her SSI benefit
to her parents each month as rent.
However, SSA notified her recently that she owes the government
over $9,000 in overpaid benefits spanning several years because SSA
determined she received a rental subsidy from her parents, which is
considered income under the Social Security Act.
My office worked with her as she tried to appeal the overpayment,
but SSA denied our appeal, stating the law is clear in this case. This
constituent is being punished because her parents lent a helping hand
to their child.
To their credit, SSA has made notable strides to streamline and
simplify SSI's rules, including those related to housing support, which
would help address my constituent's situation. But SSA is still held
back by outdated laws.
I, along with many members on this committee, am working to improve
these bedrock programs. Senators Brown and Cassidy have championed
bipartisan legislation to modernize the SSI program to not only make it
easier for beneficiaries to work, save, or marry, but it would simplify
the program and reduce overpayments. I am proud to support their
legislation, and I look forward to working with Senator Crapo and other
colleagues on finding a path forward.
I'll close with this: SSA faces an inflection point. It can either
continue relying on the policies of yesterday or come into the light
and renew itself as the agency it once was. I believe Governor O'Malley
is the one who can bring this agency back to its former glory and set
it on a path to success.
______
Communications
----------
Alliance for Retired Americans
815 16th Street, NW, 4th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 637-5399
www.retiredamericans.org
The Alliance for Retired Americans appreciates the opportunity to
submit a statement supporting the nomination of the Honorable Martin
O'Malley to be the Commissioner of Social Security. We thank Committee
Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo for holding this hearing.
Founded in 2001, the Alliance is a grassroots advocacy organization
with more than 4.4 million members nationwide. The Alliance and its 39
state chapters work to advance public policy that strengthens the
health and retirement security of older Americans.
For decades, Social Security has delivered guaranteed benefits on time
and without interruption to millions of Americans. Americans work hard
to earn their Social Security benefits, and contribute to the system
with every paycheck. These benefits are essential to all who rely on
them, including seniors, people with disabilities and families of
deceased workers.
Today nearly 66 million Americans--one out of every five households--
relies on Social Security's lifetime, guaranteed benefits. And to
continue to provide retirement security for current and future
generations, it is necessary to strengthen and expand Social Security
to augment the program's solvency and increase benefits. Over the
years, polls have consistently shown that Americans strongly support
Social Security across party and demographic lines.
The Alliance believes that former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley as
Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) would be
tremendously beneficial to the agency, and his leadership could assist
SSA employees in their important jobs, ensure the agency is fully
staffed to meet the public's needs and that SSA has the best tools and
technology available to serve the American people. As Maryland's
governor, Martin O'Malley distinguished himself by adopting an
innovative, transparent management style, setting specific goals for
problems like crime and cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, making those
goals and progress toward them transparent so citizens could see
whether things were improving.
Certainly, no federal agency reaches as many Americans as the Social
Security Administration. The agency is not only responsible for Social
Security payments for retirees, survivors, and people with
disabilities, but it helps American families with Medicare and SSI.
With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, SSA has an ever increasing
workload. Unfortunately, Congress has failed to adequately fund the
program and Americans are waiting longer to have questions answered or
their requests for disability benefits heard. As commissioner, we are
confident that former Governor O'Malley will work effectively with
Congress to secure the resources that the SSA needs, and use them as
efficiently as possible.
Beyond a doubt, the Social Security Administration is in need of a
confirmed commissioner to ensure that Americans are receiving the best
service possible for their earned Social Security benefits, and we
believe that former Governor O'Malley, a proven leader with ample
experience running a large organization, is an ideal person to run the
agency. For these reasons, the Alliance urges the members of this
committee to advance his nomination as quickly as possible.
On behalf of our more than 4.4 million members, the Alliance for
Retired Americans deeply appreciates the opportunity to submit
testimony on this vitally important nomination hearing.
______
American Federation of State, County,
and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
1625 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036-5687
TEL (202) 429-1000
FAX (202) 429-1293
TDD (202) 659-0446
WEB www.afscme.org
November 1, 2023
The Honorable Ron Wyden The Honorable Michael Crapo
Chairman Ranking Member
United States Senate United States Senate
Committee on Finance Committee on Finance
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:
On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the American Federation of
State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), I write in support of
the nomination of the Honorable Martin O'Malley to be Commissioner of
the Social Security Administration and to urge the committee to swiftly
approve his confirmation.
For nearly 9 decades, Social Security has provided workers with the
benefits they earned that allow them to retire with dignity, spousal
and dependent children benefits, and disability insurance in case of a
disabling long-term illness or injury before they retire. About 64
million people collected Social Security benefits in September 2023.
Social Security is a trusted social insurance program and one of the
most successful anti-poverty programs in our nation's history.
AFSCME supports the confirmation of former Maryland Governor Martin
O'Malley to lead the Social Security Administration because he brings
executive experience, deep policy expertise and an unwavering belief in
retirement with dignity. We know that he will be a stable hand to
protect, defend and expand this vital program that brings peace of mind
every month to millions of Americans and their families. He will fight
to ensure that seniors, people with disabilities and others get the
benefits they have earned.
We urge the Senate Finance Committee to approve the confirmation of
Martin O'Malley as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Edwin S. Jayne
Director of Federal Government Affairs
______
City of New Bedford, MA
City Hall
133 William Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Tel: (508) 979-1410
Fax: (508) 991-6189
Jonathan F. Mitchell, Mayor
November 27, 2023
The Honorable Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-6200
Re: Confirmation Hearing of Martin O'Malley, November 28, 2023
Dear Chairman Wyden:
I am pleased to submit this letter in support of President Biden's
nomination of Martin O'Malley to become the next Commissioner of the
Social Security Administration. For the past twelve years, I have had
the honor of serving as the Mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts, after
a career as a federal prosecutor in Boston and Washington, D.C. I came
to know Governor O'Malley personally when he was assigned to be my
mentor as part of the Bloomberg-Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a
leadership training program for mayors.
My intention in submitting this letter is not to itemize Governor
O'Malley's accomplishments in elected office. There are no doubt a
legion of former colleagues, constituents, and others who can offer
first-hand accounts of how his leadership in Baltimore and Annapolis
produced tangible, lasting benefits for the residents he served. On
this score, it is important, however, to note that among America's
mayors, Martin O'Malley is widely recognized as having led the
revolution in municipal performance management. Beginning in the 1990s,
cities of various sizes began to use data more formally to inform
decision making, but under Mayor O'Malley's leadership, Baltimore made
it a central feature of municipal governance. CitiStat, as it became
known, represented O'Malley's affirmative answer to the question of
whether a major city could deliver better services across the
enterprise of municipal government by adopting the performance
management practices employed by many of America's most successful
businesses. The CitiStat approach to governing has since caught on
across the country. Today, the cities considered to be the best managed
in America invariably have in place some version of O'Malley's methods.
For this reason, it is fair to say that Martin O'Malley is one of the
most consequential American mayors of the last half century.
I also can personally attest that after his long run of success in
elected office, Governor O'Malley remains as committed as ever to
public service. During our work together, his passion for the effective
administration of government was palpable. Our sessions were devoted to
the development of practices that would enable New Bedford to identify
in our data how progress in a discrete set of activities could leverage
systemic improvement. Governor O'Malley understands that real
improvement in the performance of government is indeed possible, but
only through an unyielding commitment to constant improvement and the
persistence necessary to achieve it. He made clear to me that he meant
what he said when earlier this year he took a 62-mile Uber ride from
Cambridge to New Bedford just so he could convey his feedback to me in
person.
At a time when trust in government is precarious, Governor O'Malley is
exactly the type of leader to be entrusted with the retirement benefits
of nearly every American. He has dedicated his life, in the Jesuit
tradition of his schooling, to performing good works by making
government work better for people. He has management skills that are
more likely to be found among successful private sector executives, and
the lived experience necessary to understand how operational excellence
can enhance the quality of life of those the organization is meant to
serve. President Biden has nominated someone with the tools and the
heart to ensure that, when his work is done, the Social Security
Administration will be a sturdier institution than when he started.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Jon Mitchell
Mayor
______
Feds For Freedom
P.O. Box 401014
Las Vegas, NV 89140
https://www.fedsforfreedom.org/
December 3, 2023
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-6200
Re: Open Executive Session to consider favorably reporting the
nomination of The Honorable Martin O'Malley, of Maryland, to be
Commissioner of Social Security on November 28, 2023
Dear Honorable Ranking Member Mike Crapo and Republican Members of the
Senate Committee on Finance Senators Cornyn, Thune, Scott, Lankford,
Daines, Young, Johnson, Barrasso and Blackburn:
Today I write to you not only as a board member of Feds For Freedom,
the premier non-profit organization representing the rights of federal
employees and all Americans, but also as an 18-year employee of the
Social Security Administration (SSA),* and as a concerned citizen.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The opinions expressed in this letter do not represent the views
of the Social Security Administration.
I began working at the SSA in 2005 at the inception of the Medicare
Modernization Act in one of the agency's 1,200+ local field offices. At
that time the SSA was moving its systems to electronic processing and
was ahead of the curve in government IT systems. Since that time, I
have been very fortunate to have had a wide range of experiences and
opportunities at the SSA, working with a variety of people throughout
the organization and the country. SSA employees have always been
extremely proud of the work that we do to serve the American people
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
regardless of political ideology.
That all changed when President Biden fired former Commissioner Andrew
Saul and replaced him with current Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi. Since
that time, the priorities of the SSA have drastically shifted away from
public service and employees have become overwhelmed by the political
agendas of the current administration. Our front-line service to the
American public has deteriorated as shown by our poor telephone wait
times and our growing disability backlogs. SSA was once considered one
of the best places to work in civil service. We are now ranked 17th in
our agency category. A drastic lack of leadership in the Office of the
Commissioner of SSA has demoralized staff due to shifting and unclear
priorities and lack of accountability.
While I agree with you that President Biden's decision to remove Andrew
Saul was a disgusting display of executive overreach, I implore you
today to let your better judgment guide you toward making the best
decision for the employees of the SSA and the American people by voting
to confirm Martin O'Malley as the next Commissioner of SSA. Mr.
O'Malley has a proven track record of success in leading large
organizations, and he was very well prepared with a plan to restore
SSA's reputation as the best public service agency in America.
Punishing the employees of the SSA and the public we serve by
maintaining the status quo only further politicizes the events of the
last three years and does not provide an opportunity for true positive
change.
As I mentioned in my opening, I am a board member of Feds For Freedom.
We are a group of 8,000 dedicated federal employees and contractors who
are working to reform the federal service to be more accountable,
transparent, and representative of the values of the American people.
Based on his testimony, Mr. O'Malley seeks to make positive changes at
the SSA that align with our stated mission. As a non-profit
organization, we are also nonpartisan and seek to work with a broad
coalition of stakeholders. I urge you today to do the same and to reach
across party lines to achieve the best result for the American people
and the future of the Social Security Administration.
Thank you,
Melissa Bruckner
Board Member
[all]