Andrew Saul, President Donald Trump’s choice to be the new commissioner of the Social Security Administration, said one of the first things he would do as the new commissioner is to examine the increasing disability backlog to see how improvements could be made.
Saul appeared at his confirmation hearing Oct. 2 before the Senate Finance Committee. The Federal News Network reported on the hearing and indicated that Saul faced some tough questions as to whether he could really do much about the disability backlog. The Committee’s ranking member, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), said previous commissioners had also targeted the disability backlog without any success.
“On the backlog, the previous two commissioners promised to fix the problem, and it hasn’t been fixed,” Wyden said. “So what are you going to do differently to actually fix it so we won’t see what I saw a couple of weeks ago when I visited a field office?” Wyden questioned Saul.
In response to Wyden, Saul said he understands something has to be done about the massive backlog, but didn’t offer a solution, but said he would investigate all options.
“I understand that the field office is where the rubber meets the road,” Saul said. “When you talk about service to beneficiaries, there’s nothing more important than personal contact in these 1,200-plus field offices spread throughout our nation. So I will, number one, not only get out to Oregon, but to many locations across the country, because before you know what you can do, I believe I’m going to have to really get out and see what the problems are.”
No final decision is expected on Saul’s nomination anytime soon. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the Committee chair, is retiring from the Senate at the end of the year, but promised the committee would continue to consider Saul’s nomination early next year.
