Social Security Funding ‘Failure’ Sparks Nationwide Warning – By Omar Mohammed (Newsweek) / April 16, 2024
Staffing issues at the Social Security Administration could lead to closures of the agency’s field offices across the country, The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has warned.
The AFGE pointed out that a field office in Southeast Cleveland, Ohio, was closed due to what they claim were “chronic staffing and attrition issues.” The union, which represents 750,000 federal and D.C. government employees, argues that the SSA lacks enough funding to operate effectively, which has contributed to the lowest staff levels within the agency in almost three decades.
“Most Americans do not have a choice to pay into the Social Security system through their paychecks, yet for the last decade, Congress has acted like it has been a choice to fund the program’s operating costs and staff the agency properly to meet public demand and delivery timely benefits and services,” Jessica LaPointe, president of the National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals (AFGE Council 220), said in a statement.
The lack of enough funding for the agency is partly why the SSA is struggling to deal with its staffing issues.
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