From HuffPost:
Seth Harris, a former deputy labor secretary who is now a member of the National Economic Council, is one of the leading contenders for the post, according to multiple sources, alongside former Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), who was secretary of health and human services in the Clinton administration; and Social Security Works President Nancy Altman. All three have engaged in a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign to win support from members of Congress and unions. ...An aide to President Joe Biden on labor issues is among the top contenders to lead the Social Security Administration, though he faces competition from a longtime expert on the agency and a high-profile former member of Congress.
Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), who chairs a key subcommittee overseeing Social Security in the House, has also quietly weighed in with a letter to Biden backing Altman. ...
13 comments:
Whoever it is I already hate them and they are the worst commissioner in the history of SSA and if I have to work under them I will retire!
I vote for Donna Shalala.I have been with the Agency long enough to remember when she was in charge and it was a much better place. The worst thing that ever happened was when SSA was detached from HHS. I can still remember the day the announcement was made. It was a victory for the Baltimorons.
And a sad day for the rest of us.
I could not agree more.
The extra layer of HHS BS on literally everything SSA was doing was likely something most folks just never had experience with. SSA would draw up a budget, HHS would cut it back and then Congress wouldn't give HHS what they wanted so SSA got even less. The COSS would go to DC with people from Finance to be given their budget numbers from the HHS staff. We got caught in the Hyde Amendment BS. You wanted to procure something, it all went to HHS for review and mostly came back to be reworked. Because HHS has a way of doing things different from the rest of government. Getting IT stuff when HHS was involved was an example of why people hate bureaucracy. Ditto on personnel selection and such. And payroll. Outside of NIH, SSA was bigger than all of HHS put together yet had all sorts of issues primarily caused by HHS often getting in the way. The focus of SSA was unique to HHS, and the only other components in HHS with a direct human to human business model was things like Indian Health Service.
It is a thankless job, anyone that actually wants the position should be immediately disqualified as they have a separate agenda.
Is it possible Biden can pick the best person for the job and not based on knowing the person?
Remember Obama picking a person named Andrew Eanes back in 2016 to nominate for Deputy SSA Commissioner.
https://www.ssa.gov/legislation/testimony_020416.html
This candidate almost had zero experience working in disability or much of any government basically just business.
I am kind of sick of both sides just using who you know nepotism to fill all cabinet positions.
Eanes was interesting but brought onboard not as COSS but as potentially Deputy Commissioner and they always have a separate portfolio. And frankly him being a Black man didn't hurt. They wanted a back room mechanics type to deal with organizational issues, not policy or program issues. In my experience most Deputy Commissioners aren't even in the room for most COSS meetings. They have their own separate staff and orbit and intersect rarely with what the COSS is doing. They didn't even have their own private bathroom on the 9th floor until the mid-2000s. Used to joke that if the job of the deputy COSS was to stand in in case the actual COSS couldn't do the job, it'd be a mess because likely they'd have little idea of the activities the COSS was actually involved in.
Altman brings with her extensive experience and the perspective of one who understands the public need for SSA programs, so that would be refreshing.
Donna Shalala may have the experience, but she is 80 years old. My vote would by for Nancy Altman, though I realize she is only 9 years younger. Statistically she much less likely to die in office, and is still very experienced. Biden should not be nomiinated octogenarians to head up agencies that are in desperate need of a tech overhaul. So many of the problems facing disability attorneys (and their clients) could be easily solved by tech improvements. For example, why is the local office asking me to fax in documents attached to an appeal, when they acknowledge that the appeal is recieved? Why can we not attach attorney forms to the intial application, rather than waiting 4+ months and re-faxing multiple times. Why aren't the data symptoms for the local field offices and national payment center integrated.
Whoever is picked should tread carefully their first few months in office.
Saul prisoned the well for the rest of his term by his right wing dictates during his first year in office, before he even understood the agency or his role as Commissioner.
60-70-80 year olds, all known for great handling of new technology and fresh problem solving strategies. SMH
Altman????
No Way...
I agree with 7:24 PM, August 18, 2021. Why can't Biden pick someone who is actually qualified? Why is that so hard to do? Nancy Altman would be an awful pick - she and her fellow board members cannot fix the disfunction and discord at SSAB, which has a staff of 10 employees. How could she possibly run an agency as large as SSA? Harris and Shalala at least have hands-on experience.
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