Other Names Mentioned For Commissioner Position
From
Government Executive:
The head of the Social Security Administration could be out in less than two weeks, and it’s not clear yet who will replace him. ...
It’s possible an announcement could come as early as this week, according to a Capitol Hill source ... SSA’s Deputy Commissioner Carolyn Colvin could be named acting head of
the agency before Obama makes a permanent nomination; her term of deputy
also expires on Jan. 19.
“Commissioner Astrue remains on the job and has not submitted his
resignation to President Obama,” said Mark Hinkle, a spokesman for SSA. ...
Other names circulating as possible replacements to Astrue include Nancy
Altman, James Roosevelt Jr., and former Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D.
Altman is chairman of the nonprofit Pension Rights Center’s board of
directors and has spent most of her career studying, teaching and
writing about Social Security and pension issues; James Roosevelt Jr. --
the grandson of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the late president who
helped create Social Security in the 1930s -- is president and chief
executive officer of Tufts Health Plan. Roosevelt also served on Obama’s
2008 transition team as a Social Security adviser and is a former
associate commissioner at the agency. Pomeroy was chairman of the Ways
and Means Subcommittee on Social Security when he served in the House.
4 comments:
It will never happen, but I say pick Andrew G. Biggs. SSA doesn't need a Social Security cheerleader like Altman. SSA needs someone that will make the hard decisions that need to be made.
Pomeroy would be a great pick, imho. He took the time to learn about the agency when he was in Congress, and of course he's got instant credibility with the appropriators. That's what we need more than anything else, Charles's fixations on DOT and judge anonymous notwithstanding.
@ 11:24 and 9:16
amen (though I'm not 100% sure about Biggs) to both these comments. Altman's experience and stances suit her for precisely the jobs she currently holds or similar positions, not to actually run the agency.
My hunch from the get-go was Obama would pick a female. No inside info just a hunch based on a female (Barnhart) prior to Astrue.
But based on your list, Roosevelt probably has the best credentials. Maybe just a little concerned about his age 67 and I believe the term runs 7 years so he would be 75 at the end. But it sounds like he would challenge the SSA to get better and not just be a caretaker like Astrue.
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