With Congress on recess through Labor Day, OMB has reviewed the status of spending bills that have progressed so far, concluding that they would shortchange numerous core governmental functions.
For example, it said that the administrative spending levels being contemplated for the SSA would fall below 2016 amounts and “would mean cuts to staffing at call centers and field office hours that provide seniors and people with disabilities information about and assistance applying for Social Security benefits. These cuts also would mean longer waits for appointments and phone calls and more backlogs for disability appeals and other critical work.”
The funding level advancing in the House, it said, could result in approximately 400,000 fewer disability claims and 200,000 fewer hearings processed and a slowdown in retirement claims processing. Further, it said, that level would undercut program integrity efforts such as disability benefit reviews that yield about $8 on average in savings over 10 years per $1 spent.
Similarly, finding levels for the IRS would hinder that agency’s ability to provide services to taxpayers, while causing the agency to collect less in taxes, it said.
In addition, both the House and Senate have underfunded the Census Bureau’s program to research, test and carry out design changes for the next census that have the potential to save more than $5 billion, OMB said. Also, underfunding of construction and renovation of federal buildings will leave the government less able to “take advantage of opportunities to save money over the long term and maintain its buildings adequately to avoid more costly failures in the future.”
