The Senate voted Monday to confirm former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) as commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA).
The Senate greenlit his nomination with a vote of 50-11 Monday afternoon, just months after President Biden selected the former governor, who also ran in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, for the role.
Kilolo Kijakazi has been serving as acting Social Security commissioner since 2021, when Andrew Saul, previously tapped as SSA chief under former President Trump, was fired after refusing to step down.
The termination prompted uproar from Republicans at the time who criticized the move as “partisan,” while the White House defended the firing, taking aim at actions by Saul it said ran “contrary” to the president’s policy agenda.
While backing O’Malley for the role on Monday, Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), whose committee advanced his nomination in a bipartisan vote last month, lauded the former governor’s track record.
“Throughout his career in public service, Martin O’Malley established an unimpeachable record of modernization and increased transparency squarely focused on helping Marylanders get the services they count on,” Wyden said in a statement.
“He understands better than most that there is no Republican or Democrat way to fill a pothole or improve customer service.”