The Republican playbook is always to underfund a government program, then complain that the resulting backlogs mean that government programs just don’t work.
So Lauren Boebert was simply following the path traveled by so many other mediocre Republicans — but she hit a wall when she tried to question Social Security Administration Counselor Oren McNelly.
“You all are allowing delinquent employees to sit on their sofas at home instead of actually getting to work and doing their jobs. This is absolutely unacceptable,” she said primly. (Don’t tempt us, Bobo. Are you doing anything resembling actual work?)
“Our employees are working, whether they are in the office or at home,” McNelly said.
Boebert was clearly unprepared, because she continued to ask questions to which she didn’t already know the answers. (Which, ironically, indicates her own staffers are poorly monitored.) She demanded to know if remote workers were monitored, and he explained they are under the same supervision they have in the office, given specific assignments by a supervisor, and expected to be available to answer questions. “They are connected to the office whether they’re in the office, or at home,” McNelly said.
“Then why is the backlogs for Social Security applicants increased from 41,000 to one-hundred-and-seven-hundred thousand?” she said. (Think harder, Lauren! You can do this! YOU CAN DO IT!!!)
“Because we’ve been historically underfunded for a number of years now,” McNelly said. (Boom.)
Bobo snapped, “I don’t think you’re underfunded.” She said the the agency was funded at the “the Nancy Pelosi levels” of panedemic levels spending. “We just continued that same funding!”
(Bobo! Come on, use your brain for something other than to hang your hair!)
Yes, McNelly said patiently, “We have an increase of over 8 million beneficiaries over the last 10 years, at the same time we experienced our lowest work staffing levels at the end of FY22. That’s a math problem.
“If those work loads are increasing and you don’t have the staff to take care of those workloads, you’re going to have the backlogs that you’re talking about, Representative.”
Too bad congressional witnesses can’t get up and spike the ball!
