The U.S. government has no intention of completing the Social Security call center in Jackson.
Government officials said Thursday that the project "is done" for at least the next decade because of the nation's current economic problems.
"Due to severe cuts by Congress in the agency's administrative budget, Social Security is no longer moving ahead with its plans to open a teleservice center in Jackson, TN," Mark Lassiter, of the Social Security Administration's National Press Office, wrote in an e-mail to The Jackson Sun. ..
The call center was expected to employ 150 to 200 people in federal jobs that paid annual salaries ranging from $27,990 to $55,844.
Reddy said the federal government will pay the building's owner, Gary Taylor, to complete construction of the building's shell. It will not pay for the installation of floors, ceilings, duct work, electrical or any interior infrastructure. The government currently is working with Taylor to discuss a buyout contract. Terms of the contract had not been established on Thursday, Reddy said. ...
The Social Security Administration broke ground on the call center in October. The agency had a 20-year, $64 million lease
This call center is in the Congressional District that was represented by John Tanner before his retirement. Tanner was chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee at the time the call center was being planned.
This is actually a good thing on at least two fronts. Not only does it save money, it saves the American people millions of incorrect answers to their Social Security questions. Of course, they'll just get those incorrect answers from other TSC representatives.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a shame. Ridiculous cuts to Social Security's budget will cost the government money and we will receive nothing in return. There will be no real savings. It is just a farce perpetrated by Congressional tea drinkers and those who are afraid of them. We need some sanity to turn the country around.
ReplyDelete"The call center was expected to employ 150 to 200 people in federal jobs that paid annual salaries ranging from $27,990 to $55,844."
ReplyDeleteWhere was this 7 or 8 million dollars going to come from? The Chinese are going to reject the credit card at some point. Better sooner than later the cuts are made.
How about the two billion we spend every WEEK in Iraq and Afghanistan?
ReplyDelete"How about the two billion we spend every WEEK in Iraq and Afghanistan?"
ReplyDeleteYes that too. Plus foreign aid and a million other things we are borrowing money to pay for.
The money for Social Security operations comes from the trust funds. That is why it has nothing to do with other spending and nothing to do with the deficit.
ReplyDelete"The money for Social Security operations comes from the trust funds"
ReplyDeleteTell me where this mountain of money is kept? There is no trust fund the money has been spent.
The reason SSA was putting a call center in Jackson TN was that the location was in the district of Representative Tanner, who at the time was Chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee. Once he announced his retirement, before the 2010 election, the handwriting was probably on the wall.
ReplyDelete