A Potential New Deputy Commissioner for the Social Security Administration (SSA)

The Senate Finance Committee convened for a hearing on February 4 to vet nominee Andrew LaMont Eanes for the position of Deputy Commissioner of the SSA. The position of Deputy Commissioner of the SSA requires a Presidential nomination and the approval of the Senate. A second-in-command to the SSA Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioner has a major role in helping oversee all of the SSA’s various departments.

Eanes, who has a Bachelor’s degree in political science and an M.B.A. from Baldwin Wallace College, has spent most of his career in the private sector. However, he does have some experience with the SSA. He worked in SSA Acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin’s office as a Senior Advisor, where he took on a variety of administration-related IT projects.

Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) spoke favorably of Eanes at the hearing, stating that he believes Eanes has the management experience, technical background, and work ethic to do well in the role of Deputy Commissioner. Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) also spoke highly of Eanes, stating that Eanes can provide an outside perspective on the challenges of social insurance and public management that will be valuable to the SSA.

Sen. Wyden did express some concerns about confirming Eanes while the SSA still lacks a confirmed commissioner. In fact, the SSA hasn’t had a confirmed commissioner since February of 2013, and the White House has not nominated anyone for the role in the current Congress. Because there is no confirmed commissioner, the Deputy Commissioner would, by default, serve as Acting Commissioner.

The Finance Committee was set to vote on the Eanes nomination in early March, but the vote was postponed. Partisan strife over the question of whether or not to confirm a replacement for the recently deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has slowed the progress of other nominations in the Senate, Eanes’ included.

Whether or not Eanes has a future in the SSA remains to be seen.