Social Security agency warns of workers' furloughs

Associated Press ^ | 2-18-11 | ANDREW TAYLOR

[Justaham]

Upping the ante in the budget faceoff, the Obama administration warned Friday that workers who distribute Social Security benefits might be furloughed if congressional Republicans force cuts in federal spending.

In a letter the Social Security Administration sent to its employees' union, agency officials said that while no decision about a furlough had been made, one was possible "given the potential of reduced congressional appropriations."

The letter was circulated by congressional Democrats, who said in a written statement that such cuts could mean shuttered Social Security offices and delayed benefit payments. The letter's distribution by Democrats underscored how the threat of jeopardizing Social Security payments is a potent political weapon.

Republicans are pushing a huge spending bill through the House that would impose deep cuts on domestic programs.

The overall bill is the first step in an increasingly bitter struggle between Democrats and Republicans over how much to cut federal agencies' funding over the second half of the budget year that ends Sept. 30. Current funding runs out March 4 and a temporary spending bill will be needed to avoid a government shutdown.

Republicans say the legislation would pare Social Security's administrative budget by $125 million from current levels plus another $500 million from a reserve fund. Democrats say the cut would leave the agency with $1.7 billion less than President Barack Obama requested.

As Friday's debate began, the focus was on Obama's health care overhaul, which dominated Congress' work in 2009 and was enacted last year. The GOP has virtually no chance of killing the law because of support for the program from Obama and the Democratic-run Senate, but House Republicans have been trying relentlessly to chip away at it.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Predictable.

[Mad Dawgg]

"The letter was circulated by congressional Democrats, who said in a written statement that such cuts could mean shuttered Social Security offices and delayed benefit payments."

Fear Mongering 101...

Scare the old people...

Its the same old Democrat playbook...

Next item will be starving the Chil'druns...

[freekitty]

Is he threatening the people?

[BuffaloJack]

We should thank Mr. Obama for getting in the spirit of shrinking the federal government and we look forward to other ways to cut back and reduce the size of government.

[KansasGirl]

Obama and the Rats are destroying the country. They are almost done.

[purplelobster]

Clever Barry now is stooping to frightening elderly people in his effort to foment chaos. After watching events in the middle east Barry is emboldened in his desire for street demonstrations breaking out across the Nation. This is the predictable result of electing a neophyte whose most substantive experience was being mentored by Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers.

[Qbert]

There are only two options here: Either Obama is the “moderate” leader dedicated to reaching across the aisle to work with the GOP to address the problem and cut the size of deficits, or he’s a big-spending Liberal. These are, in reality, small cuts relative to his budget that the GOP is proposing.

If he’s the big-spending Liberal (which he is, of course), then he’s the one shutting down government and the one responsible for elders not getting their social security checks.

[traditional1]

ANYTHING the Democrats can do to delay payments to Social Security EARNERS (that's right; the one's whose money was confiscated over the years and they're trying to get it back via monthly payments, as opposed to the SSDI and Illegal Immigrants who never paid a dime, and still get "Benefits").

This is a scare tactic, and you could shit-can half the Federal Government staff workers, and not lose ANY productivity at all......

[DakoKid]

Dimrat math - Republicans say the legislation would pare Social Security's administrative budget by $125 million from current levels plus another $500 million from a reserve fund. Democrats say the cut would leave the agency with $1.7 billion less than President Barack Obama requested. $125 + $500 = $1,700 ??? "Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said the GOP effort would "put insurance companies back in charge, further demonstrating the majority's special-interest priorities and hypocrisy on job creation and deficit reduction." Well if you had gotten the budget passes last year, which was your JOB, then this would not have been possible.

[silverleaf]

I believe the democrats would like to make this happen

stop the social security checks, hold the senior citizens as human shields in a partisan strategy to destroy the GOP as “heartless” if they do not consent to continuing ruinous spending

[Georgia Girl 2]

Here comes the scare tactics.

[Tijeras_Slim]

You got that right.

Better start shipping cases of Alpo to Mother Slim.

[bert]

can dead officials still lie?

[Walts Ice Pick]

When Social Security checks don’t go out, we will see how the program is not missed by most people. And, that will be the beginning of the end for the welfare state.

[Tijeras_Slim]

and vote.