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Regulation and Compliance > Legislation

House Passes Debt-Limit Bill That Trims Social Security Administration Budget

By Melanie Waddell

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The full House passed by a 217-215 vote late Wednesday afternoon Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bill to raise the debt limit — the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 — which would result in at least a 23% budget cut to the Social Security Administration and many other federal agencies, according to a Social Security advocacy group.

“Shame on House Republicans for passing a draconian debt ceiling bill that would slash federal spending on behalf of seniors and other vulnerable members of society,” Max Richtman, head of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said in a statement.

“The passage of Speaker McCarthy’s so-named ‘Limit, Save, Grow Act’ does not reflect the will of the American people,” Richtman added.

The bill would freeze nondiscretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels for 2024, which would result in a 23% budget cut for most agencies, according to Richtman.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is likely to be dead on arrival, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

A cut of 23% “would exacerbate glaring customer service problems at the SSA,” Richtman said. “Social Security claimants have suffered through interminable wait times on the agency’s 800 phone number, field office closures, and long delays obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance hearings.”

Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, said in a statement Wednesday after the vote that “if this bill becomes law, it will force SSA to close field offices, reduce hours, and lay off thousands of workers. This will make it far harder for Americans to claim the benefits they’ve earned.”

Republicans, though, are staunchly defending the proposed legislation. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., said in a statement after the vote that McCarthy “is pushing to use the debt limit as a time to take stock of government spending, which has been too high for too long.”

McCarthy “has united House Republicans around a plan to responsibly raise the debt limit, while limiting government spending, saving taxpayer money and growing our economy,” McHenry added. “It’s time for President Biden to put partisanship aside and come to the table to negotiate with Republicans to avoid default and get America’s fiscal house in order.”

Melanie Waddell

@Think_MelanieW

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