Sw Louisiana News

During a recent House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, Congressman Clay Higgins expressed his dissatisfaction with the Social Security Administration (SSA). He criticized the agency for not providing adequate service to seniors, pointing out issues with responsiveness.

Higgins attempted to call the SSA helpline during the hearing. He remained on hold for an hour and a half without speaking to an employee. He used this experience to highlight what he described as failures of enhanced telework policies implemented by Democrats for federal employees.

He stated: “One of the benefits of having other committee obligations and arriving at Oversight Committee behind my colleague is that I get to listen to all the testimony. Mr. Chairman, this is Social Security *holds up phone* for one hour, 28-minutes, 25 seconds. The phone number is 800-772-1213. That’s the number for Social Security."

Higgins continued: “This is what our elders have to listen to. The reason our elders call for help is because they need help, not because they want to listen to elevator music." He added that elderly individuals often struggle with accessing websites due to lack of familiarity with technology and prefer using a telephone.

The congressman also pointed out that in-person visits require appointments made over the phone, saying: "Well, wait, they have a local Social Security office they could go to right now. That’s a historical model. No, I give you exhibit B…From your website, listen to this. America, pay attention to what’s happening to our elders."

###