David Pryor: “this morning I would like to take a moment to discuss some recent press reports about a figure of $32 million worth of…”

“this morning I would like to take a moment to discuss some recent press reports about a figure of $32 million worth of bonuses paid to employees of the Social Security Administration. This has certainly drawn a lot of attention in our country. I know that my colleagues have, and I can state for myself, received many, many phone calls and now many, many letters about this issue. On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that some 45,000 employees of the agency's 65,000 employees, roughly two-thirds of its work force, received some type of bonus in fiscal year 1993. One employee had only worked for SSA for 22 months and received a bonus of $9,256. Madam President, that makes people angry. It makes this Senator angry. It is not right. The Social Security Administration may be just the tip of the iceberg, however, because I have looked into the use of bonuses in prior years, and in recent months at other agencies.”