In a statement, Jayapal (D-Wash.) said it is “appalling and outrageous” that SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul and Deputy Commissioner David Black “have delayed the delivery of survival checks to 30 million Americans.”
“In delaying these payments, Commissioner Saul and Deputy Commissioner Black have shown a profound contempt for the American people and are unfit to continue to serve in their roles at the Social Security Administration.”
—Rep. Pramila Jayapal
“This is not a game—for millions of people, these checks are a lifeline to put food on the table, refill prescriptions, and put gas in the car,” Jayapal added.
As Common Dreams reported last week, the Internal Revenue Service asked SSA to send over key payment information two weeks before the March 11 approval of the latest round of direct relief payments in an effort to ensure Social Security recipients would receive their checks in a timely manner.
But SSA inexplicably failed to provide the information until March 25, significantly delaying the process of distributing the payments to struggling retirees. In a statement that same day, Saul attempted to blame Congress for the hold-up and suggested that anyone criticizing the agency over the delay is casting aspersions on rank-and-file SSA staffers—many of whom have themselves voiced disapproval of Saul and Black’s leadership.
“In delaying these payments, Commissioner Saul and Deputy Commissioner Black have shown a profound contempt for the American people and are unfit to continue to serve in their roles at the Social Security Administration,” Jayapal said Monday.
Andrew Saul & David Black:
✘ Tried to rip Social Security benefits from people with disabilities
✘ Delayed 30M relief checks
✘ Illegally pressured judges to deny disability claims
✘ Are union busters@JoeBiden must #FireSaulAndBlack
NOW! https://t.co/xFycBp16Ve— SocialSecurityWorks (@SSWorks) March 26, 2021
In an op-ed for Common Dreams on Monday, Social Security Works executive director Alex Lawson wrote that “it’s unclear if Saul and Black delayed the survival checks in a deliberate attempt to sabotage the Biden administration, or if they are just extremely incompetent.”
“But their record shows that they deserve zero benefit of the doubt,” Lawson continued. “For years, Saul and Black have worked to cut Social Security benefits and union-bust the agency’s workforce. They want to make it harder to qualify for Social Security disability benefits, and easier to take them away. According to a whistleblower report, they threatened to fire judges for approving too many disability claims—which is illegal.”