Chairman Obey Statement On Social Security Appropriation -- Moving Backwards

The Labor-HHS Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee held a markup session today on the Labor-HHS Appropriation bill. David Obey is the Chairman of the full House Appropriations Committee, as well as Chairman of the Labor-HHS Subcommittee. The Labor-HHS Appropriations bill includes the Social Security Administration's Limitation on Administrative Expenditures (LAE), which is basically the appropriation for the Social Security Administration's operating budget.

Traditionally, the Chairman of the Committee prepares a "Chairman's Mark", a proposed appropriations bill and the Committee or Subcommittee works off that, with members of the Subcommittee and later the full Committee offering amendments to the Chairman's Mark." Obey prepares the Chairman's Mark in consultation with Committee members, so the end result should be pretty close to the Chairman's Mark.

Here is an excerpt from Obey's statement before today's markup session:

“The bill [Chairman's Mark] also accelerates efforts at the Social Security Administration to ensure that seniors and the disabled receive the benefits to which they are entitled. It provides $682 million over last year ($100 million over the request) to help SSA reduce the backlog of disability hearings, improve claims processing times, and support field offices.

Let me make a few points. First, the Budget Resolution, which is only binding upon the Appropriations Committees in aggregate, provided for $240 million in extra financing for Social Security, so we are moving backwards. Second, I do not know what happened today in the Subcommittee markup, much less what will happen in the full Committee. Third, the Senate will have a say in the matter. The Senate may be more concerned about Social Security's operating budget than the House of Representatives. They were last year. Finally, it is clear that Congress and President Bush will not be agreeing upon appropriations bills. These will all be pending when the new President and Congress come to town next January. Still, the appropriations process going on now is important. This whole process cannot start from scratch in January. What is agreed to now is almost certain to be the starting point come next January and, given the urgency to get something passed, the end point is likely to be near the starting point.