Biden Fires Trump Holdover Leading Social Security Administration, Who Is Now Refusing to Leave

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden fired Andrew Saul, the commissioner of the Social Security Administration on Friday after Saul rebuffed a White House request to resign. Saul is disputing that Biden can fire him, pointing to the fact that his term expires in 2025.

“I consider myself the term-protected Commissioner of Social Security,” Saul told The Washington Post. He said he intends to sign into work on Monday as usual. His deputy was also fired.

Saul was nominated to the position by Donald Trump in 2019 and was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 77 to 16. His appointment drew some criticism at the time because Saul had served on the board of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank that has argued in favor of cuts to Social Security benefits.

The White House argues it has the power to fire Saul, citing recent Supreme Court cases. Last year in a 5-4 decision, the court made it easier for the president to remove the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This June, the court ruled that the president has the power to remove the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Biden replaced the Trump-appointed head of the department that day.

Biden had come under pressure from progressives to oust Saul, as he had butted heads with unions representing the agency’s employees. Critics also alleged that Saul was too slow in handing over necessary files to the Internal Revenue Service so that stimulus checks could be processed.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said on Twitter prior to Saul’s firing that removing him would be calling it “an unprecedented and dangerous politicization of the Social Security Administration.”

Biden has named Kilolo Kijakazi as acting commissioner until he chooses a replacement to serve out the rest of the term.