Pete Domenici: “Section 2211(e)(5) of this bill provides a $300 million mandatory appropriation to the Social Security Administration.…”

“Section 2211(e)(5) of this bill provides a $300 million mandatory appropriation to the Social Security Administration. The bill requires SSA to review the eligibility of hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries who may no longer be eligible for supplemental security income [SSI] benefits. This mandatory appropriation is important because it is intended to give SSA the resources it needs to do this job right. But I am concerned about the precedent of creating new entitlement spending for Federal agencies, and I understand that the House has dropped this provision from its bill because of this concern. Last year, in the Social Security earnings test bill, we created a special process to allow the Appropriations Committee to provide additional funding for SSA to conduct continuing disability reviews--or CDR's--without forcing cuts in other discretionary spending. For the years 1996 through 2002, this process will accommodate an additional $2.7 billion for CFR's, and all signs indicate that it is working. Although I do not plan to strike this mandatory appropriation here on the floor, I hope that, in conference, instead of creating a new entitlement for SSA, we can build upon the CDR funding process--and give the Appropriations Committee an additional allowance to fund the work SSA must do under this bill.”