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May 23, 2007

Baucus Press Release On Social Security Backlogs

Senator Max Baucus, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee issued a press release following the hearing before his committee today. Here are a few excerpts:
At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee today, Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said it’s “unacceptable” that massive case backlogs at the Social Security Administration have left Americans waiting as long as four years for disability benefits. ...

“This whole situation is tragic. I can’t believe our country, the United States of America, has let this happen. It’s an outrage,” said Baucus. ...

Astrue said that at the funding level recommended by the White House, which is higher than last year’s appropriation but $430 million less than Congress’s budget recommendation, it’s unlikely the agency could end backlogs entirely within the next five years. ...

The Commissioner also said that more authority to push administrative law judges to increase their productivity ... will be essential to progress on the backlog problem.

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