Biden fires head of Social Security Administration
US President Joe Biden has fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, a Trump administration appointee, after he refused a Biden request to resign from his position.
A White House official confirmed on Friday evening that Saul’s employment at the Social Security Administration (SSA) was terminated, adding that he had "undermined and politicized" Social Security disability benefits.
“Since taking office, Commissioner Saul has undermined and politicized Social Security disability benefits, terminated the agency’s telework policy that was utilized by up to 25 percent of the agency’s workforce, not repaired SSA’s relationships with relevant Federal employee unions including in the context of COVID-19 workplace safety planning, reduced due process protections for benefits appeals hearings, and taken other actions that run contrary to the mission of the agency and the President’s policy agenda,” the White House official said.
The official added that David Black, Saul’s deputy who was also appointed to the position by former Republican President Donald Trump, resigned from the post at Biden’s request.
The move came after a tension-filled two-year tenure as congressional Democrats and elderly and disability advocates urged the president to fire Saul, who was known for his staunch anti-union stance.
Kilolo Kijakazi, the current deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy, was named as acting commissioner as Biden searches for a permanent replacement for the position. The nominee needs a confirmation from the Senate.
Kijakazi previously served as a fellow at the Urban Institute and a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Saul, who was confirmed in 2019 by the Senate to a six-year term, argued that the White House did not have the power to remove him, according to the Washington Post.
“I consider myself the term-protected Commissioner of Social Security,” Saul told the newspaper in an interview Friday afternoon.
Saul said that he would not leave his post and would challenge the legality of the firing. He described his termination as a “Friday Night Massacre,” and said he’s a “term-protected Commissioner of Social Security.” He said he intended to return to work on Monday remotely from his New York home.
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