Cong. Hill Announces Second Golden Fleece Winner

Cong. French Hill, R-Little Rock, announced the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) as the second recipient of the newly re-established Golden Fleece Award.

Hill resurrected the Golden Fleece Award to draw attention to wasteful government spending. It was originally created as a PR tool for that purpose by former Sen. William Proxmire, D-Wisconsin.

A recent SSA Office of Inspector General audit found that over a ten-year period, nearly four million beneficiaries of SSA disability programs were provided an estimated $16.8 billion in overpayments. Earlier this week, Hill said he sent Carolyn Colvin, Acting Commissioner of the SSA, a letter congratulating her agency on “winning” the award.

“At a time when our Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program is facing a significant funding shortfall, it is essential that we ensure these precious taxpayer funds are going to help eligible individuals who are truly in need of these benefits. Under current law, the SSDI trust fund will be depleted by 2016, resulting in a 20% cut to benefits,” Hill wrote.

“Of course, like you, I do not want to see a sudden reduction in these important SSDI benefits that many individuals with disabilities rely on. That is why it is so critical to ensure that these dollars are not wasted on those who are no longer disabled or have returned to work and are no longer eligible to receive these benefits,” he added.

Hill gave his first Golden Fleece Award to the VA Hospital after a Ch. 7 News report by Elicia Dover exposed wasteful spending on solar panels for a parking garage that were later torn down.