Martin O'Malley Warns of Cuts Vivek Promotes
From the Ohio AFL-CIO newsletter:
Former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley warned Ohio retirees Friday about Vivek Ramaswamy’s stated willingness to consider privatizing Social Security and investing the program’s money in the stock market.
“Social Security is on the ballot,” O’Malley said during a Sept. 25 roundtable in Toledo with the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans, Ohio AFL-CIO and AFSCME Council 8.
O’Malley is not speaking about the program from the sidelines. The former Maryland governor served as commissioner of the Social Security Administration from December 2023 through November 2024, overseeing the federal agency responsible for retirement, disability and survivors benefits.
An Ohio governor cannot rewrite Social Security. Congress sets the federal program’s basic structure, benefits and financing. But Ramaswamy’s comments about Social Security are now part of the Ohio governor’s race as O’Malley and retiree and labor groups point to them alongside Ramaswamy’s positions on Medicaid, a program administered by states within federal requirements.