WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has direct oversight for the Social Security Administration (SSA), provided the following statement in response to President Joe Biden nominating former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley to be the next Social Security Commissioner. The Social Security Administration is headquartered in Woodlawn, Maryland.

“Martin O’Malley never backs down from a challenge. I’m excited by the news that President Biden has nominated my friend, and one of Maryland’s most successful governors, to be the next Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Social Security is a critical insurance policy that tens of millions of working Americans pay into every year so that benefits can be there when they are older, disabled or leave young children after death. About 66 million Americans – 1 in 5 – receive some benefit from Social Security each year and they should be reassured with Martin O’Malley taking the helm of this agency. I know Martin to be a dedicated public servant who understands the solemn promise of Social Security and how much it means to our seniors and disability or survivor beneficiaries. Most important for such a large federal agency, Martin also loves data and has a strong track record making government work better based on that data. He’s literally written the book on ‘Smarter Government.’

“For the nearly 60,000 employees of the Social Security Administration nationwide, including about 12,000 in Maryland, I am confident that Martin O’Malley will honor their service to the American people and that he will lead SSA with respect and support for its strong union workforce. I look forward to a swift confirmation process in the Senate so that Martin can get to work as quickly as possible.”