Reps. Larson, Wild, Schakowsky, Matsui Lead 107 Members in Letter to Support Strengthening Social Security’s Customer Service in FY 2024

Washington, DC – Today, 107 Members, led by Representatives John B. Larson (D-CT), Susan Wild (D-PA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Doris Matsui (D-CA), wrote to House appropriators in support of increased funding for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to improve customer service. 

“Social Security provides benefits to some of our nation’s most vulnerable, from our seniors to children and veterans. I joined with my colleagues to advocate for increased funding because we owe it to the American people to ensure SSA can serve beneficiaries with quick and quality customer service. I commend Connecticut’s own, Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, for her longtime support for Social Security and efforts to ensure SSA has the resources and funding it needs to serve our nation,” said Rep. Larson.

“Millions of Americans depend on timely receipt of Social Security benefits, and backlogs create unnecessary financial stress on seniors and those living with disabilities. I know that firsthand, because my office has helped so many Pennsylvanians resolve issues with SSA,” said Rep. Wild. “That’s why I am grateful for my 106 colleagues, particularly Reps. Larson, Schakowsky, and Matsui, for joining me in urging that SSA receive increased funding.”

“Social Security benefits provide crucial economic security for millions of older Americans and people with disabilities across the nation,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “In my district, my team and I have helped many of our neighbors navigate their Social Security concerns – oftentimes because of backlogs and delays caused by a lack of resources for SSA. During and after the pandemic, Americans have been relying on Social Security’s modest benefits more than ever. That’s why I’m making sure we give SSA the tools to deliver the highest quality of service possible to those who need it most.”

The 107 Members thanked appropriators for providing a much-needed funding boost for SSA in fiscal year 2023, which the agency will use to maintain essential services, improve staffing, and work through backlogs.

“As our nation works to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Social Security is one thing the American people should be able to count on. Yet without adequate overall funding, waiting times, benefit delays, and service problems will only grow worse – something that none of our constituents want,” the Members wrote. They continued, “a multi-year effort and sustained funding increases will be needed for SSA to restore services to pre-pandemic levels. SSA has a proven track record of producing results when consistently given the resources needed to do the job. For example, dedicated funding provided by Congress for several consecutive years has helped SSA reduce delays in disability benefit appeals to what is now the lowest level in 22 years.”

“Social Security is essential to American families. We urge you to support the highest amount possible, no less than President Biden’s funding request for SSA in FY 2024, so Americans can receive the benefits they are counting on,” the Members concluded.

Members who signed on to the letter include: Adams, Alma; Allred, Colin; Barragán, Nanette; Beatty, Joyce; Beyer, Donald; Blumenauer, Earl; Blunt Rochester, Lisa; Bowman, Jamaal; Boyle, Brendan; Carson, André; Casar, Greg; Casten, Sean; Castro, Joaquin; Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila; Chu, Judy; Cicilline, David; Clarke, Yvette; Cleaver, Emanuel; Cohen, Steve; Connolly, Gerald; Courtney, Joe; Crockett, Jasmine; Crow, Jason; Davids, Sharice; Davis, Danny; DeGette, Diana; Deluzio, Christopher; DeSaulnier, Mark; Dingell, Debbie; Doggett, Lloyd; Eshoo, Anna; Evans, Dwight; Fletcher, Lizzie; Foster, Bill; Frost, Maxwell; Garamendi, John; García, Jesús; Garcia, Sylvia; Gonzalez, Vicente; Grijalva, Raúl; Hayes, Jahana; Higgins, Brian; Himes, James; Horsford, Steven; Hoyle, Val; Jackson, Jonathan; Jackson Lee, Sheila; Jacobs, Sara; Jayapal, Pramila; Johnson, Henry; Keating, William; Kildee, Daniel; Kim, Andy; Kuster, Ann; Larsen, Rick;  Lee, Summer; Lieu, Ted; Lofgren, Zoe; Lynch, Stephen; Manning, Kathy; McBath, Lucy; McGovern, James; Menendez, Robert; Moore, Gwen; Moskowitz, Jared; Moulton, Seth; Nadler, Jerrold; Napolitano, Grace; Norton, Eleanor; Omar, Ilhan; Panetta, Jimmy; Pappas, Chris; Pascrell, Bill; Pingree, Chellie; Plaskett, Stacey; Porter, Katie; Pressley, Ayanna; Raskin, Jamie; Ross, Deborah; Ruppersberger, C.; Sablan, Gregorio; Sánchez, Linda; Scanlon, Mary; Scholten, Hillary; Scott, Robert; Sewell, Terri; Sherrill, Mikie; Slotkin, Elissa; Smith, Adam; Sorensen, Eric; Soto, Darren; Spanberger, Abigail; Stansbury, Melanie; Stevens, Haley; Strickland, Marilyn; Takano, Mark; Titus, Dina; Tlaib, Rashida; Trahan, Lori; Waters, Maxine; Williams, Nikema; Wilson, Frederica.

Read the full letter here and below.

Dear Chair Aderholt and Ranking Member DeLauro:

We urge you to support the highest amount possible – no less than President Biden’s request of $15.5 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 – for the Social Security Administration (SSA) administrative budget, so that the agency can strengthen services and reduce excessive delays faced every day by Americans who are trying to access their earned benefits.  

Social Security is a cornerstone of our nation’s economic security. Almost all workers are contributing to Social Security and earning its benefits, and nearly one in three households include at least one person who receives Social Security. The income Social Security provides is vital for retirees, families who have lost a breadwinner, and workers who have experienced a career-ending injury or illness. It is impossible to overstate Social Security’s importance to its 66 million beneficiaries: for most older adults, its benefits provide their largest source of income.

Despite the strong level of public support for Social Security, inadequate resources and the COVID-19 pandemic have eroded SSA’s customer service and led to lengthy delays during a time of rising need. Since 2010, the number of Social Security beneficiaries has increased by more than 21 percent as the baby boom generation ages. Yet SSA’s administrative funding for basic operations has fallen by approximately 17 percent, after accounting for inflation. As a result, SSA’s workforce shrank by approximately 10,500 full-time, permanent workers from 2010 to 2022 – and in 2022 the agency’s staffing reached a 25-year low. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted SSA’s operations, generating significant new delays in services ranging from replacing lost or stolen Social Security cards to processing new benefit claims.

As a result, people seeking to access SSA benefits and services too often encounter significant delays and other challenges. The majority of callers to SSA’s 1-800 number are unable to reach an agent due to busy signals and long hold times. People scheduling a call or visit with an SSA field office to get help with an application for benefits often wait more than a month until their appointment. Over one million people are in a queue awaiting an initial decision on their application for disability benefits, and it will take SSA more than seven months, on average, to make a decision – twice as long as in the past. These long waits can be particularly harmful for people of color, low-income applicants, and others who on average are less likely to have savings or other resources to fall back on. Thousands have died each year while waiting for a decision on whether they are eligible for disability benefits, and many more have endured years without income, in the process often exhausting their life savings and even losing their homes.

As our nation works to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Social Security is one thing the American people should be able to count on. Yet without adequate overall funding, waiting times, benefit delays, and service problems will only grow worse – something that none of our constituents want.

We are grateful that appropriators provided SSA with an increase of $785 million for FY 2023. SSA will use these funds to maintain essential services, improve staffing, and work through backlogs. However, a multi-year effort and sustained funding increases will be needed for SSA to restore services to pre-pandemic levels. SSA has a proven track record of producing results when consistently given the resources needed to do the job. For example, dedicated funding provided by Congress for several consecutive years has helped SSA reduce delays in disability benefit appeals to what is now the lowest level in 22 years.

Social Security is essential to American families. We urge you to support the highest amount possible, no less than President Biden’s funding request for SSA in FY 2024, so Americans can receive the benefits they are counting on.

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