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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release May 23, 1997

           PRESIDENT NAMES KENNETH S. APFEL AS COMMISSIONER OF
                    THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

The President today announced the nomination of Kenneth S. Apfel to serve as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration.

Kenneth S. Apfel, of Takoma Park, Maryland, has served since 1995 as the Associate Director for Human Resources at the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President. Mr. Apfel's responsibilities include budget, policy and management review of all the human resource agencies of the Federal government, including the Social Security Administration, the Departments of Labor and Education, and elements of the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. Prior to his appointment at OMB, Mr. Apfel was Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget at the Department of Health and Human Services, where he served as the Department's senior budget official and chief financial officer. From 1989-1993, Mr. Apfel was legislative director to Senator Bill Bradley, and from 1982-1989, he was the Senator's chief staff person for federal social policy. Mr. Apfel also served a Presidential Management Internship at the United States Department of Labor and as committee staff for the Untied States Senate Budget Committee.

Mr. Apfel earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, a Master's degree from Northeastern University, and a Master's in Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. He is married to Caroline Hadley and has two sons, Derek and Dana.

The Social Security Administration manages the nation's social insurance program and administers the Supplemental Security Income program for the aged, blind and disabled. In 1996, approximately 144 million people made contributions to Social Security. At the end of 1996, 48 million received Social Security retirement, disability or survivors benefits or Supplemental Security Income benefits, about 1 in 5 Americans.

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