From the
statement of Orrin Hatch, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, at today's hearing on the nomination of Andrew Lamont Eanes to become Deputy Commissioner of Social Security:
... Today
we
will
also
consider
the
nomination
of
Andrew
LaMont
Eanes
to
be
the
Deputy
Commissioner
of
the
Social
Security
Administration
.
Currently,
Mr.
Eanes
serves
as
Senior
Advisor
in
the
Office
of
the
Acting
Commissioner
and
has
a
vast
background
in
management,
technology,
and
a
demonstrated
history
of
simply
getting
things
done.
We
can
always
use
more
of
that
in
our
government. ...
Even
with
these
fiscal
challenges [of the Social Security trust funds],
operationally
speaking,
the
Social
Security
Administration,
or
SSA,
has
fared
better
than
most
agencies
in
terms
of
budget
allocations.
Of
course,
we
generally
don’t
hear
that
from
them.
Instead,
we
tend
hear
persistent
claims
from
many
SSA
officials
that
any
and
all
problems
at
the
agency
are
caused
by
Congress’s
supposed
refusal
to
provide
adequate
funding.
Fortunately,
however,
there
are
also
those
at
SSA
who
work
hard,
day
in
and
day
out,
to
ensure
that
taxpayer
funds
are
used
as
efficiently
as
possible
for
the
sake
of
beneficiaries.
And,
everything
that
I’ve
see
n
thus
far
indicates
that
Mr.
Eanes
is
one
of
these
diligent
officials
working
to
protect
taxpayer
resources
and
to
make
sure
the
benefit
programs
can
be
run
as
efficiently
and
effectively
as
possible.
That
is
precisely
what
hardworking
taxpayers
and
beneficiaries
of
these
important
programs
deserve. ...
Senator Hatch, it's just a fact that because of inadequate administrative appropriations the Social Security Administration was forced to reduce its workforce dramatically at a time when its workload was increasing dramatically because of the aging of the baby boom generation.
From the
statement of Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Committee:
Some have raised questions about this nomination because Mr. Eanes background is not in social
insurance or public management. But sometimes, a fresh perspective may be valuable in helping tackle
challenges in federal agencies. Mr. Eanes brings
significant management and technology expertise from
his time in the private sector, which could be highly beneficial to Social Security in delivering the best
possible customer service.
Finally, I want to remind the committee that Social Security has not had a confirmed commissioner in
place since February 2013. This committee should consider whether or not it is wise to confirm a deputy
before a commissioner is confirmed. SSA runs best when its uppermost leadership positions are filled by
strong leaders who’ve been approved by the Senate, but legitimate questions have been raised about
the best way to proceed.
So I look forward to discussing that issue with my colleagues, and my hope is the administration puts
forward a nominee to be commissioner for the committee to process as soon as possible.
