As you well know, when a new president is elected, most of the staff in the White House and surrounding offices are replaced, especially if the new leader is a member of the former’s opposing party. Unsurprisingly, over the past few months, Democratic President Joe Biden has proved to do just that. As a result, nearly everyone he can let go or fire has been, and every office then filled with liberal and Democrat cronies bent on adhering to the party’s wishes.
But as it turns out, he’s even getting rid of some positions and offices that aren’t supposed to change with the incoming of a new administration.
Enter the offices of the Social Security Administration or SSA.
Unlike those of the presidential cabinet and departments such as Justice, Defense, etc., SSA employees or, at least appointees, are given six-year terms.
And yet, Biden has recently asked for the resignation of both SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul and deputy commissioner David Black.
Black has since agreed to step down. Saul, on the other hand, sees the partisan move at play here and is refusing to do so.
Now, of course, as most of you have rightly assumed, Biden could choose to just fire him then. And he did this past week.
But Saul isn’t even going to let that stop him from doing his job, which is supposed to be his until January of 2025.
According to Saul, he’s not going anywhere and will be logging into work as usual on Monday.
That ought to make things a bit tricky for Biden, as he already plans to replace Saul with Kilolo Kijakazi as soon as possible and until a permanent and Senate-approved replacement for the head of the SSA can be found.
As Saul told The Washington Post, “I consider myself the term-protected commissioner of Social Security.” Naturally, he believes that due to the non-partisan nature of the SSA agency and the fact that they are appointed in terms, as opposed to simply being tied to one administration or another, he can’t just be eliminated from his position – at least not without due cause.
Of course, the liberal elite that currently runs both the White House and their propaganda wing (aka mainstream media) have already thought of that. And so they’ve come up with all sorts of “reasons” why Saul and Black shouldn’t have their jobs.
According to a statement on Saul made by a White House official to CNN, Saul has been a complete disaster for the agency since taking office.
“Commissioner Saul has undermined and politicized Social Security disability benefits, terminated the agency’s telework policy that was utilized by up to 25 percent of the agency’s workforce, not repaired SSA’s relationships with relevant Federal employee unions including in the context of COVID-19 workplace safety planning, reduced due process protection for benefits appeals hearings, and taken other actions that run contrary to the mission of the agency and the President’s policy agenda.”
Here’s the thing though, as head of a non-partisan agency, Saul isn’t strictly required to follow party or president-led policy. And he knows it.
Like most hirings and appointees done by Biden, Saul knows that this situation has little to do with any actual work done against or for the American people. Instead, the Biden Administration is only looking to further his power and manipulation.
Media outlet Politico sees some irregularity in this move by Biden as well.
As they said of the situation, “The termination is abnormal, as the heads of independent agencies such as the SSA don’t turn over with a new administration.”
They also pointed out that this is not Biden’s first time to remove someone Trump had appointed simply for that reason.
Take the former regulator of both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Mark Calabria, for example.
Last month, Biden sought out special approval by the Supreme Court to fire Calabria as head of the mortgage giants. And within hours of being granted that power, Calabria was asked to remove himself from his position.
You’d think if Biden is supposedly so much less corrupt, so much better than Trump, he wouldn’t have to have his fingers in every single federal agency in existence, whether independent or not. And yet, that appears to be precisely what Biden is doing.
Then again, he has to know he won’t be around for another term to appoint agency heads of his own when their terms are up. If he wants to ensure a legacy that outlives himself, he’s got to do it all now…
