Biden chooses former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley to lead the Social Security Administration
President Joe Biden has nominated former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley to lead the Social Security Administration
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley to lead the Social Security Administration.
If confirmed, O'Malley would run one of the biggest social programs in the nation and grapple with the surrounding uncertainty over its funding. Roughly 70 million people — including retirees, disabled people and children — receive Social Security benefits.
“Governor O’Malley is a lifelong public servant who has spent his career making government more accessible and transparent, while keeping the American people at the heart of his work,” Biden said in a statement. «As Governor, he made government work more effectively across his administration and enhanced the way millions of people accessed critical services.»
O’Malley served as Maryland’s governor from 2007 to 2015 and was Baltimore mayor for two terms. He also ran as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2016 but has ruled out running in the future.
The annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report released in March says the program’s trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits in about 10 years.
If the fund is depleted, the government will be able to pay only 80% of scheduled benefits, the report said.
There are few options available to keep the program healthy: raise taxes, raise eligibility age, cut costs or rely more on general revenues to cover the gap in funding, which could mean higher budget deficits or potential cuts to other programs.
All of the options are politically controversial.
Currently, full Social Security benefits are available at 67, an age minimum that’s increased by two years since
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