Like many Trump appointees, Andrew Saul was put in place to undermine the very department he was put in charge of, in this case the Social Security Administration, an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivor benefits. His nomination drew sharp criticism at the time because of his involvement with the right-wing Manhattan Institute, which has repeatedly called for cuts to Social Security benefits. Go figure, right?
Well, on Friday, the Biden administration finally terminated him, righting another Trump wrong. Saul, though, says he'll show up for work Monday morning as usual, working remotely. That'd be quite the trick if he does, because like his position, his government account was also terminated. I guess we'll see on Monday morning.
Source: USA Today
President Joe Biden on Friday fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, a holdover from President Donald Trump who regularly drew criticism from Democrats, unions and social welfare advocates.
The White House confirmed the termination, saying Saul was notified of the decision after he refused to resign at the president’s request.
A White House official accused Saul of taking action during his tenure that “undermined and politicized Social Security disability benefits,” hurt relationships with federal employee unions and ran “contrary to the mission of the agency and the President’s policy agenda.”
Andrew Saul, though, says he's not going anywhere, even though his deputy commissioner agreed to resign, evidently not quite the drama queen that Saul is.
The Washington Post, which first reported Saul's firing, quoted the former SSA commissioner as being "very upset" at his abrupt dismissal. Saul said he intended to sign into work remotely from his New York City home on Monday.
“I consider myself the term-protected Commissioner of Social Security,” he said. “This was the first I or my deputy knew this was coming,” Saul added, describing his firing as a "Friday Night Massacre" that left the SSA in turmoil.
Good luck with that, buddy.
Some Democratic senators applauded.
BREAKING 🚨 The Trump-era holdovers bent on destroying Social Security, Andrew Saul and David Black, are OUT.
Seniors and people with disabilities are finally safe from their path of destruction.https://t.co/Fwocy56K3T— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) July 9, 2021
Good riddance. Andrew Saul and David Black played key roles in Donald Trump’s failed plans to dismantle Social Security. We need @SocialSecurity leaders who will protect and expand Social Security – not destroy it. https://t.co/9OHw78bDr4
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) July 9, 2021
