From
Newsweek:
Customer services from the Social Security Administration (SSA) could
be subject to delays in 2025 if [no additional] funding is agreed on by lawmakers before
the end of the year.
The government agency was forced to implement a hiring freeze in November after Congress denied additional funding for the SSA in its September continuing
resolution. ...
However, in September, House Republicans
blocked what is known as a budget anomaly request by the Biden
administration for an increase in the SSA's current 2024 annual funding
level... . With a December 20 deadline set for another stopgap
government funding bill, it remains to be seen whether the same request
will be granted to fund the agency through to March 2025. ...
SSA spokesperson Mark Hinkle told news outlet Government Executive that, without the funding, the agency is being forced to "operate conservatively."
"We have been forced to restrict hiring to critical targeted areas
and will not be able to invest in new information technology
development," Hinkle said.
"In addition, we have reduced overtime
to historically low levels and essentially have no overtime to serve the
customers who are waiting in our lobbies late in the day or to clear
workloads that we are unable to get to during core hours of operations." ...
The deadline for the next continuing resolution is December 20.
