The Senate confirmed former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley as Social Security commissioner, putting in place the first Senate-approved head of the agency in more than two years.
Senators on Monday voted 50-11 in a sparsely attended session to confirm President Joe Biden’s pick, following the Senate Finance Committee’s bipartisan 17-10 vote last month to send O’Malley’s nomination to the floor.
During the committee vote last month, three Republicans crossed over to vote for O’Malley. One of them, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, said he believed O’Malley would be effective in advising lawmakers as they face Social Security’s financial shortfall that will result in the program not being able to pay full benefits in about a decade.
