Senator Carper Hears from Governor Martin O’Malley, Nominee for Commissioner of the Social Security Administration

Today, at a Senate Finance Committee nominations hearing, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a senior member of the committee, highlighted Governor Martin O’Malley’s credentials to serve as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA). He also called attention to the need for strong leadership within the agency to continue modernizing service delivery and providing critical benefits to individuals across the country. 

During the hearing, Senator Carper stressed the importance of the Social Security Administration’s role in working with Congress to stop improper payments:

“GAO estimates [there are] about $247 billion […] in improper payments across the entire federal government for Fiscal Year 2022 […]. As elected officials, one of our most important responsibilities is to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. A couple of years ago, in 2020, Congress passed the Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, a bill that Senator John 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 three-year period beginning […] this December 27, 2023. […] If confirmed, will you commit to working with our staff, not just with Senator Kennedy and myself, but our staffs broadly, to ensure that the Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act is implemented […] in a timely way?”

Senator Carper also highlighted the importance of boosting morale and employee retention at the SSA:

“Strengthening the federal workforce and retaining high quality talent in federal agencies is a big concern of mine, and I’m sure it is of yours [as well]. It’s critical that our federal workforce is well trained, and it’s critical [they are] 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 and evaluates job satisfaction among federal workers. […] In 2022, the Social Security Administration was ranked among the lowest federal agencies included in that survey.”

A video of Senator Carper’s questions at today’s hearing can be found here.

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