WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) was joined by former Senator Barbara Mikulski today at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee to introduce former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley for his confirmation hearing to be the next Social Security Commissioner. Senator Cardin is a member of the Senate Finance Committee and participated in the question rounds, in addition to introducing Governor O’Malley.

“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 …These Americans should be reassured with Martin O’Malley taking the helm of this agency. I know him 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,” Senator Cardin said. “For the nearly 60,000 employees of the Social Security Administration nationwide, including about 12,000 in Maryland at the Woodlawn headquarters in Baltimore, 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.”

The full hearing can be found here: https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings

Video of Senator Cardin’s opening remarks can be found here.

The Social Security Administration (SSA), headquartered in Woodlawn, Md., near Baltimore, administers the Social Security programs (retirement and disability) and the Supplemental Security Income program (SSI, income support for low-income individuals who have not worked enough to qualify for Social Security). The agency has roughly 60,000 employees in Maryland and nationwide across the headquarters and 10 regional offices, six processing centers, 164 hearing offices and approximately 1,230 field offices.

The SSA also, E-Verify, Medicaid, and Federal Benefits for Veterans, as well as programs associated with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Coal Industry Retiree Health Benefit Act, and Help America Vote Act. Altogether, SSA pays benefits to roughly 70 million people annually.

Photo credits: U.S. Senate Photo

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