Department of Defense

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor just having listened to the minority leader talk about our nominees for various positions in the Trump administration, and I am happy to report that this month, December of 2025, we will confirm nearly 100 more of President Trump's qualified nominees. This is going to bring the total number of nominees confirmed this year to nearly 420--we will surpass 400--and this far surpasses the number that Joe Biden confirmed in his first year in office.

One of these highly qualified nominees is Arjun Mody, whom I would like to talk about now.

Arjun is an extraordinary leader and a trusted friend. Arjun has been nominated to serve as Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Now, in choosing Arjun, President Trump has chosen the very best. I have known him for 15 years, and he has helped shape my work in the Senate. He ran three of my Senate leadership offices, and in each one, he transformed how we served the Members of this body.

Prior to that, Arjun worked for Senator Elizabeth Dole of the Presiding Officer's home State of North Carolina and for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas.

When you hire staff, you need people you can trust completely. I saw Arjun earn that trust in moments both big and small.

Here is the truth about Arjun: If something needs to get done, he is going to get it done with excellence. He doesn't just know policy and process; he knows and understands people. He doesn't just build high- impact teams; he builds loyalty among the teams. He doesn't just work hard; he works well with everyone.

When the stakes are the highest, he always delivers results. I have watched Arjun take on the toughest challenges and find solutions that other people have missed. That is exactly what Social Security needs right now in our Nation because for 90 years, Americans have relied on Social Security--not just for income but for the independence these people have earned. They count on it to keep a roof over their heads and to put food on the table. That promise matters, and it needs leaders who understand both its importance and its challenges.

Arjun is going to modernize the Social Security Administration, he is going to help strengthen its core mission, and he is going to ensure that payments are timely, accurate, and secure. At the same time, he is going to work with this committee, with the Senate, and all across the government. Most importantly, he will never forget that behind every case number is a person and that every beneficiary matters, whether they are a senior, whether they are a survivor, or whether they are someone with a disability. Social Security works because Americans can trust it month after month, year after year. With Arjun, that trust is in capable hands.

I have trusted Arjun to lead my staff, and the President has trusted him to strengthen Social Security. Now I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to trust him with their vote.

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