President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:
Andrew M. Saul of New York, to be Commissioner of Social Security, for the remainder of a six year term expiring January 19, 2019 and for an additional six year term expiring January 19, 2025. Mr. Saul is currently a partner with Saul Partners, L.P. His previous business positions include: Chairman of the Board of Cache, Inc., President of Brooks Fashion Stores, Inc., and President of BR Investors. His previous public service includes tenures as Chairman of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board and Vice Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Presently, he is a Commissioner for Westchester County, New York. Mr. Saul’s philanthropic involvement includes serving as Vice Chairman of the Mt. Sinai Health System in New York City, Vice Chairman of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a Trustee for the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. He is a former board member of the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York. Mr. Saul is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, and serves on its Board of Overseers.Here's Saul's bio from Wikipedia. This must have been prepared by Saul or someone working for him.
Is it possible for him to be confirmed now for a term that doesn't begin for nine months?
Trump is also making the following nomination for Deputy Commissioner:
David Fabian Black of North Dakota, to be Deputy Commissioner of Social Security for the remainder of a six-year term expiring January 19, 2019. Mr. Black currently serves as the White House Senior Advisor at the Social Security Administration. He served as SSA’s General Counsel from October 2007 until July 2015. From 2004 through 2007, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Mr. Black is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve where he deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq in support of the Global War on Terrorism and earned a Bronze Star Medal. Mr. Black holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in political science, summa cum laude, from the University of North Dakota.
From Wikipedia: "Along with Bill Kristol and Peggy Noonan, Saul is a trustee of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a prominent conservative think-tank which promotes limited government and free-market principles whose mission is to "develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility"
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what his approach to the disability programs will be.
@10:27
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side, at least he has some experience running a federal agency. Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board is responsible for FERS, which is about as close to Social Security as you can get (other than if you nominated someone from within the agency).
Go ahead, grab that 3rd rail!
ReplyDeleteDavid Black is an excellent choice for DCOSS.
ReplyDeleteDavid Black is great. Whatever you think of the fascist orange toddler in the White House, the agency will be well served by Black as DCOSS. Makes you wonder why he wasn't nominated for that a long time ago, since he was part of the transition team and has been hanging out at the ITC building ever since.
ReplyDeleteSaul scares me a little. http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/mta-board-member-andrew-saul-new-york-knucklehead-article-1.1055461
RRB would be a better analogue to SSA - TSP actually manages money and SSA COSS has zero involvement with that. The only real practical thing they have in common is both pay people based on money paid in by people. But not being a newbie to running an agency is a plus. The conservative nature of his background is troubling and while he wouldn't by himself be able to make major changes, he'd be able to continue the GOP standards of eroding the safety net by nibbling away at things as they come up, taking the conservative (political) view and action when there is a choice.
ReplyDeleteThe Wikipedia changes are all not very recent so whenever done, it was a decently long time ago to be not suspicious.
Black is a decent guy but maybe folks from OGC who worked for him have better insight.
To Anonymous 10:27: The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board doesn't run FERS, it runs the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the 401(k)-type savings program for federal civilian and military employees. (FERS and Civil Service Retirement, which are pension programs, are administered by the Office of Personnal Management.) FRTIB has about 310 employees and a budget of about $350 million, with about $600 billion under management in a limited menu of index funds.
ReplyDeleteAnything is better than the current jokers though.
ReplyDeleteA plus for Black is that he doggedly kept the Conn investigation going while others, including DOJ and SSA OIG, were on the verge of folding their tents and going home.
ReplyDeleteI think it will be great to have an attorney in a senior role with SSA. Very much needed.
ReplyDeleteWhen in any instance in recorded history has having an attorney involved in anything made things better? History shows that as you add attorneys you add layers and layers and less and less gets done, but it is all billable!
ReplyDeleteWhen claims involve legal determinations doesn't it make sense to have an attorney do said work and have an attorney in charge of those who do said work?
ReplyDelete