Senate Appropriations Hearing Video Available

The video of today's hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee is now available online. It was not available in streaming video as best I could tell.

Update: Commissioner Astrue was surprisingly vague when asked what part of Social Security would be closed if the government shuts down because of an appropriations impasse. Perhaps it was because the answer to the question is complex. Perhaps it is because the Administration would prefer to stay vague on this. There may be more public interest in what happens at Social Security than at any other agency. In any case, we do not know exactly what to expect at Social Security if there is a government shutdown on March 19.

Further update: The hearing featured an impromptu appearance by Nancy Shor, Executive Director of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives, when Marty Ford had trouble with questions about the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA). Ford's difficulty is not surprising since this is not an issue she would have had much exposure to. The House appropriations bill would have defunded EAJA for the rest of the fiscal year.

And a further update: ABC News reports on the hearing -- and, like Senator Shelby, conflates the issue of Social Security's long term financing with the immediate issue of the Social Security's administrative budget.