President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the new commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Andrew Saul, will appear before the Senate Finance Committee Oct. 2 for consideration.
Saul, of New York, is a partner with Saul Partners, L.P., which is identified as an investment firm. Trump nominated him to fill the remainder of a current six-year term that ends in January of 2018, but also for a new six-year term that would run through 2025. Nancy Berryhill has been serving as acting commissioner since Trump took office.
The scheduled hearing seems a bit curious considering the current six-year term ends in just a few months, but the White House may be concerned that Saul would face significant opposition if the confirmation process waited until next year if the Democratic Party won back control of the Senate.
Saul does have some public policy experience, serving on two different government boards after appointments from former President George W. Bush and former New York Gov. George Pataki, who are both republicans.
He was nominated and confirmed by the Senate to chair the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board in 2002. This board manages savings plans for federal government agencies and soldiers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. He served on this board for 10 years. During much of the same period, Saul also served on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York. Saul, who is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, currently serves as a county commissioner for Westchester County in New York.
The public is invited to submit comment on Saul’s nomination. To do so, the Senate Finance Committee is asking anyone wishing to offer comment to submit a typewritten statement to the committee no later than two weeks following the hearing.
