Senate Urged to Block Biden's Pro-Privatization Nominee for Social Security Board

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/07/05/senate-urged-block-bidens-pro-privatization-nominee-social-security-board

Defenders of Social Security on Tuesday urged the U.S. Senate to block President Joe Biden's little-noticed nomination of Andrew Biggs—an American Enterprise Institute senior fellow with a history of supporting Social Security privatization—to serve on the independent and bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board.

Social Security Works, a progressive advocacy group, is leading the charge against Biggs, highlighting his role in the George W. Bush administration's failed attempt to privatize the New Deal program in 2005. At the time, Biggs worked on Social Security as an associate director of Bush's National Economic Council.

(snip)

The White House announced Biggs' nomination to the SSAB in May, a move that drew little notice at the time.

(snip)

While Biden vowed on the campaign trail to back an expansion of Social Security, he has previously supported cutting the program's benefits. Biden was vice president when former President Barack Obama proposed a "grand bargain" with the GOP that would have entailed cuts to Social Security.

Call your senators.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. W.I.T.F.?!?!?!

[msongs]

2. bad move joe biden nt

[Me.]

3. Have They Not Been Doing Their Due Diligence?

Between this and the judge in La. I wonder who is making these picks.

[H2O Man]

4. Recommended.

That is a terrible choice for that position.

[JanMichael]

5. What the hell? I give up.

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. WTAF?

Whoever advised Biden to pick Biggs should be fired.

The fact that Biden supported the nomination just makes me shake my head…

[Mysterian]

7. Unbelievable

AEI senior fellow.

These are our enemies, Mr. President.

[PhylliPretzel]

8. Thanks for the "heads up."

I just sent an email to Sen. Casey and urged my family members to do the same.

[Wounded Bear]

9. K & R...for visibility...nt

[montanacowboy]

10. Just wrote both my Senators

What in the hell is wrong with the President? Jesus, the third rail of politics and he is stepping on it.
Not to mention that Judgeship nomination in Kentucky. Someone has to stop this shit.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

11. Someone call for me, please, my senators are Moscow Mitch and Random Piles.

[jalan48]

12. This should really get the voters to turn out for our side.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

13. Bedtime kick

[867-5309.]

14. Why???

Just why?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

15. Sunday morning kick.

[AntivaxHunters]

16. lol

I'm out of words

[dalton99a]

17. Hey Joe, WHAT --- THE --- FUCK --- ARE --- YOU --- DOING ???

An anti-abortion asshole for federal judge

And then... a privatization asshole for Social Security???

[Celerity]

18. Andrew Biggs has advocated for Social Security cuts throughout his career. And now, he's been

nominated to oversee Social Security.

The Senate can, and must, block this terrible nomination!

Please call your Senators at 202-224-3121 and tell them to vote NO on Andrew Biggs.

Here's a sample script for calling:

Link to tweet

[msfiddlestix]

19. What the effin Hell?

This can't be true. Just can't be.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

20. .

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/13/president-biden-announces-key-nominees-15/

Andrew G. Biggs is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies Social Security reform, state and local government pensions, and public sector pay and benefits. Before joining AEI, Biggs was the Principal Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), where he oversaw SSA’s policy research efforts. As an Associate Director of the White House National Economic Council in 2005, he worked on Social Security reform. In 2001, he joined the staff of the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Biggs has been interviewed on radio and television as an expert on retirement issues and on public versus. private sector compensation. He has published widely in academic publications as well as in daily newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He has also testified before Congress on numerous occasions. In 2013, the Society of Actuaries appointed Biggs co-vice chair of a blue-ribbon panel tasked with analyzing the causes of underfunding in public pension plans and how governments can securely fund plans in the future. In 2014, Institutional Investor Magazine named him one of the 40 most influential people in the retirement world. In 2016, he was appointed by President Obama to be a member of the financial control board overseeing reforms to Puerto Rico’s budget and the restructuring of the island’s debts.

[msfiddlestix]

22. I remember like it was yesterday, When Dumbya announced in his 2nd inauguration..

How he had the mandate now, (as evidenced by his second Presidential win) to Privatize Social Sedurity.

I made calls to Senators Feinstein and Boxer, and to Nancy Pelosi... that they HAD to block any attempt to move on that promise.

I was in a state of daily anger and furious, because I felt that election was stolen, Kerry should have won. The reason to go to War on Iraq was obviously pure Poppy Cock which should have been known and obvious to Congress. And now this.

I'm just blown away he had held positions during Obama's years.

[gab13by13]

21. People getting ready to retire

better plan on not having SS or Medicare. Someone is spending millions of dollars pushing Medicare Advantage on TV.

[msfiddlestix]

23. I'm retired, living on fixed income with Medicare and Medical.

[dixiechiken1]

24. I just emailed Senators Duckworth and Durbin.

I am beyond angry about this.

[mopinko]

25. this seems like a pretty small flex. sinimanchin arent the only senators that can

throw a spanner in the works.

[librechik]

26. OMFG n/t

[David__77]

27. I'm not convinced that no cuts to benefits is a red line for powers that be.

I think some people are just waiting until “bipartisanship” returns so that “the adults in the room” can slash and burn.

[Novara]

28. What the fuck is Biden doing??

[CrispyQ]

29. No one can demoralize the democratic base better than democrats. -nt

Kick, kick, kick.

[DLevine]

30. K&R

[gulliver]

31. So I guess I take commondreams and some tweeter group's word over Biden's and Obama's?

I'm not seeing the data in this post or it's link. That's something I've unfortunately come to expect from commondreams.org. My current conclusion is that the site is unreliable from a political, intellectual, and, therefore, a moral perspective.

Is there some reason Biden supports Biggs? If so, that reason has to be given due consideration in any good faith discussion. It's absolutely, positively an obligation of any OP against a Democratic President on a Democratic board to show they understand the position of said President and have given it due consideration.

That's missing and there's no data. I'm calling a foul on the former. The latter makes this OP irrelevant.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

33. Sometimes when you click on an article, there will be links in the article that will take you to

exactly what you say you want:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/13/president-biden-announces-key-nominees-15/

Andrew G. Biggs, Nominee for Member of the Social Security Advisory Board

Andrew G. Biggs is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies Social Security reform, state and local government pensions, and public sector pay and benefits. Before joining AEI, Biggs was the Principal Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), where he oversaw SSA’s policy research efforts. As an Associate Director of the White House National Economic Council in 2005, he worked on Social Security reform. In 2001, he joined the staff of the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Biggs has been interviewed on radio and television as an expert on retirement issues and on public versus. private sector compensation. He has published widely in academic publications as well as in daily newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He has also testified before Congress on numerous occasions. In 2013, the Society of Actuaries appointed Biggs co-vice chair of a blue-ribbon panel tasked with analyzing the causes of underfunding in public pension plans and how governments can securely fund plans in the future. In 2014, Institutional Investor Magazine named him one of the 40 most influential people in the retirement world. In 2016, he was appointed by President Obama to be a member of the financial control board overseeing reforms to Puerto Rico’s budget and the restructuring of the island’s debts.

Is there some reason Biden supports Biggs? If so, that reason has to be given due consideration in any good faith discussion. It's absolutely, positively an obligation of any OP against a Democratic President on a Democratic board to show they understand the position of said President and have given it due consideration.

I can only assume the information the White House put out is why Biden supports Biggs.

[gulliver]

34. So Biggs is apparently Ok, contrary to the OP

A research leader and Principal Deputy Commissioner in the SSA during the Obama administration? That seems good, not bad. Where's the data that says he isn't good? Where's the data that says he isn't good news for every single current and future Social Security and Medicare beneficiary? Burden's on the poster who (on a Democratic board or, really, any board) is posting against a Democratic President.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

35. .

[gulliver]

36. .

I take that as agreement with my point

[Hotler]

32. Fuck!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

37. One last kick before bedtime!