Social Security Chairman Sam Johnson to President: Nominate a Social Security Commissioner Now

Recently, I again urged President Trump to nominate a Social Security Commissioner. This marks the fourth time I have called on the new President to nominate the position that has been vacant for nearly five years.

I delivered the following remarks on the House Floor:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly urge President Trump to nominate a Social Security Commissioner without further delay. The Social Security Administration has been without a Senate-confirmed Commissioner for over 1,700 DAYS – that’s almost five years. This is totally unacceptable. The American people need a Commissioner – and they need one now.

Without a Commissioner, Social Security is just spinning its wheels. Important decisions are being put off, and service has deteriorated. I ask the President to act now to nominate a Commissioner so that Social Security can provide the service Americans want, need and deserve. I yield back.

On February 21, 2017, other members of Congress and I called on President Trump to nominate a qualified candidate to fill the vacant Social Security Commissioner position without delay.

On September 6, 2017, I chaired a Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee hearing on the Social Security Administrations disability backlog. During the hearing, I again called on the President to nominate a Social Security Commissioner.

On December 1, 2017, I once again urged the President to name a nominee, citing a local Dallas-Fort Worth paper that highlights the Social Security Administration’s hearing backlog as a critical issue facing the agency.

Background

Per Section 207 of the Social Security Act, the Commissioner of Social Security has a fixed six-year term. The current term ends on January 19, 2019. Since February 13, 2013, when then-Commissioner Astrue left the SSA, the agency has been led by an Acting Commissioner.