Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 5050 - Social Security Administration and Investment Reform Act of 1986

(House)
(Rep. Jones (D) Oklahoma and 190 others)

The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 5050, because it would make the Social Security Administration (SSA) an independent agency, separate from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Removing SSA from HHS would (1) break up an integrated system of service delivery for income maintenance, family services, and health programs and would create enormous problems for beneficiaries and for the persons who serve them, (2) eliminate many of the general administrative economies inherent in a large government department and require expenditure of Social Security trust fund monies for the establishment of duplicative and expensive payroll, personnel, and other support structures now operating efficiently in HHS, and (3) eliminate the agency's cabinet-level representation.

The Administration, however, would support legislation similar to that contained in title III of H.R. 5050 that would prohibit the disinvestment of the social security trust funds for purposes of dealing with the public debt limit.