The Omnibus Appropriations bill is out. The Social Security portion gives the agency an additional $480 million but earmarks $280 million of this for IT. Social Security certainly needs IT but this sounds more like an attempt to make sure that politically connected contractors get theirs before agency operations. There is a $100 million earmark for the hearing backlog but what about the agency's field offices, payment centers and teleservice centers? Good luck. Sounds like they don't get enough to even keep up with inflation.
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https://gwenmoore.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2740
Budget bill instrux SSA not to close SSA office in Milwaukee.
The earmark simply allows the agency to spend up to $100 million less on the hearings backlog than it would have otherwise with its regular appropriation. So at the end of the day, it's simply an extra $100 million for the agency, to be spent however it chooses. Field offices, payment centers, and teleservice centers could stand to benefit.
For all the complaining you do about SSA being underfunded - which is usually a chicken little tale - it’s not at all surprising that you dismiss this landmark appropriation for SSA. You basically have no idea what you are talking about. Passed by a GOP Congress and President, there is so much money in this bill the agency will struggle to spend it all on time. Shame on you for your one-sided commentary.
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